Fallout 3: I am Alpha and Omega
by Kimmae
Summary: When Ana's father left the Vault unexpectedly, she had no choice but to follow him. However, what she discovered in the Wasteland was a truth she did not wish to know. Novelization of Fallout 3.
1. Escape!

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_Also, I know several people have already created stories such as this that basically chronicle the story of Fallout 3. I'm sorry for being redundant, but I couldn't help myself. I was going crazy with ideas! This story will basically be a narrative of the main story line, omitting the extra quests and what have you. Well, thanks for clicking on this link anyway, and I hope you enjoy it at least a little bit._

Fallout 3: I am Alpha and Omega

Chapter One: Escape!

In Vault 101, you're born in the vault, you die in the vault. In her world, there was no worse truth. Ana sat upon the knocked over locker, tinkering with her BB gun while she thought of the Overseer's laws in his vault. She spent a lot of time in the reactor level when Amata or her father weren't available to console her. Lately, she had felt empty, as if a piece of her was missing all along, but she had only realized it after the damage was irreparable. Ana tilted the gun and peered up the chamber, lightly blowing into it. Only moments before, she had been practicing her aim on the targets her father and Jonas had set up for her on her tenth birthday when the lever jammed. Light in the Reactor level was dim, so trying to find the culprit behind the jam was nigh impossible. After a few moments of trying to force her eye vision to see the inside of the gun, she sighed, resting it on her lap again.

The door directly in front of her groaned as the gears were turned and opened slowly. The hinges creaked as well—which reminded her again to oil them down, so they didn't make noise when she crept in at night—and through the slightly ajar doorway, her father's head stuck through. In the low light of the room, she could just make out his smile. "I thought I'd find you down here."

"Hi Dad."

James stepped into the room, then closed the door behind him slowly. He still wore his white lab coat, which hinted to Ana that he had just come from the doctor's office. Ana scooted over on the locker to give him room to sit, and placed the BB gun on the floor next to her. She folded her hands together, and rested her elbows on her knees, looking at her boots rather than at her father's knowing eyes.

"You've been coming here a lot lately," James said to his daughter as he sat down carefully on the locker, "but it's not to shoot targets, is it?"

"Not all the time," Ana replied lightly, nudging the gun with her boot, "it's getting pretty old, actually. Stops working periodically."

"But I've never seen a better repairman for the job," James said, laughing lightly, "you must have fixed that thing a hundred times!"

"Four, actually."

"Well, you know what I mean, sweetheart." James leaned forward, mimicking Ana's position, and peered into her down turned face. "Now, tell me what's wrong."

"I'm not sure," Ana replied, studying her gloves, trying to avoid looking at him, "Maybe it's the job. I mean, I love working with Stanley, don't get me wrong. It's just... _empty_, I suppose."

"Didn't take the G.O.A.T. seriously enough?"

"No, I answered honestly on that test," Ana lied, thinking back on the infamous G.O.A.T., "I like to tinker with Pip-Boys. I can't imagine working in the engineering department. That's where I would have been if Mr. Brotch didn't—"

Ana cut herself short, blushing briefly. Her father didn't know she "cheated" on her test. "...Anyway," she continued, "I like my job, but there's something depressing about the fact that that's all I'll be doing for the rest of my life; I'll be doing the same monotonous and mundane tasks until I'm too old to be useful."

"There's nothing depressing about that," James replied, squeezing her shoulder gently, "doing what you love is the most fulfilling thing in life. Your mother would be proud of you."

Ana swallowed noticeably, and turned her head slightly towards her father. "Dad," she said cautiously, "can we... you know... talk about Mom?"

James's hand slowly slipped from his daughter's shoulder, and he was silent for a moment. "Your mother, she... she was beautiful. But beyond the beauty you've seen. She was passionate about life, about love. But most of all, she was passionate about you. After she became pregnant it was the happiest I had ever seen her. She was so excited to meet you, to get to know you. She had great things in mind for you."

Ana turned her head back towards her feet, and her shoulders seemed to slump further. "Is that what's bothering you?"

"I don't know... maybe," Ana replied, kneading her palm on her knee. "I wish I could have met her, too."

"Ana," James said quietly, patting her knee, "I know things are hard down here, and that life isn't perfect. But it's a hell of a lot better than a life _out there_. All your mother and I ever wanted was for you to be safe, and you're safe in here."

"I'm not saying I want to live on the outside," Ana replied, motioning with her hands to the ceiling, "but I wish there was more to look forward to. I feel like I've got a long road a head of me, but I've already found the dead end."

They were quiet for a while. "Your road is one you have to discover on your own," her father said kindly, "you have to know these things. I won't be around to hold your hand forever."

Ana laughed shortly, "Oh come on, Dad! You're not that old, you don't look a day over thirty!"

James laughed at her joke, almost hesitantly, and patted her shoulder. "Come on, let's go grab a bite to eat. I hear they're serving cheeseburgers tonight, it's your favourite."

"I suppose that would cheer me up," Ana replied. "Just let me put Ol' Faithful back in our quarters and I'll be right behind you."

James smiled at her kindly, and Ana finally met his eyes, returning the smile. They were near reflections of each other, and while Ana was proud to resemble the man she held so dear, part of her wished she inherited her mother's looks as a reminder that she truly existed, and wasn't just a faint memory.

James stood slowly, his aged knees giving him grief for the minor strain, and started towards the door to Ana's private shooting range. She leaned over to pick up the BB gun again, and brushed some dust off of it, admiring the old gun. In a way, she felt a connection with the item; both of them were handy, but in need of some repair. Ana sighed at the thought, and rose to follow her father.

* * *

Her dreams were calm at first, but then they were filled with fear and terror. Ana tossed and turned in her sleep, calling out faintly. When she had all but submitted to fear, a prevalent memory flashed in her mind, bringing her peace. Her father's voice filled the dark void of her sleep, and she clung to the sounds and sights of the dream:

"_See this? It was your mother's favourite passage. It's from the Bible: _Revelation twenty-one six: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life, freely._ She always loved that...."_

Ana suddenly felt pulled, and she fought to hang onto the dream longer, but sleep was suddenly stolen from her. She opened her eyes slightly, and Amata's blurred face dominated her vision.

"Wake up, Ana! Come on, you've got to wake up!"

Ana's eyes flew open, and she jumped upward from her bed quickly, meeting Amata's frantic eyes. Her ears suddenly caught on to the sound of the alarm blaring throughout the vault, and she felt dread. The alarm never sounded; emergencies didn't exist in the vault. Ana tried to sort out her awakening brain, and confronted her friend: "Amata, what's going on?"

"You've got to get out of here! You're father's gone, and my father's men are looking for you!"

Ana's brow knitted with immediate confusion. The fact that Vault security personnel were on the look out for her bothered her little, for the strong implications behind Amata's words alerted her. "What do you mean my dad is _gone_?"

"He's left the vault! I don't know how, but he's gone, and my father's kind of gone crazy!"

"_You have to know these things. I won't to be around to hold your hand forever."_

How? How could her father have left the vault? _We're born in the vault, we die in the vault_. So how did her father leave the two hundred year sealed door? "Dad really couldn't have left the vault, that's impossible...."

"I thought so too, but it's true: he's gone, Jonas is dead, and now they're looking for you!"

Surprise and anger suddenly burst forth in her heart, and battled her mind for her logic. "What? They killed Jonas? What the hell is going on?"

Amata folded her arms, looking down and speaking more softly. "My father's men think Jonas helped your father escape. They brought him to my father's office and they..." Amata's voice began to thin, and she clutched her arms as her voice wavered. "Oh my God...."

Ana did not reply, for she could not. She clenched her fists and averted her gaze from her friend. Her head tried to keep her reason, but revenge bloomed within her veins, and she wanted nothing more than to avenge his death.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this. I know Jonas was your friend." These words from Amata were able to calm Ana to an extent, and she returned her gaze to her friend, relaxing her clenched fists. Amata seemed to return to the severity of the situation as Ana visibly calmed. "But we have to go now," Amata stated more forcefully, "my father's men will be here any minute!"

"You're right, I obviously can't stay here," Ana admitted with a nod, "but where can I go?"

Amata's face was tainted with a flinch of pain. "I'm sorry, but I think you'll have to follow your Dad. You have to escape the vault."

Ana sighed, squeezing her eyes shut momentarily, and nodded quickly. "Listen," Amata added, "I know it's not any of my business, but... didn't your Dad tell you he was leaving?"

"No." The reply was short and quick, like the jab of a dagger.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure he had his reasons, maybe Jonas was supposed to explain everything to you.... But it doesn't matter now! I can help you escape, I have my own plan!"

Ana ran her hands through her short black hair, closing her eyes. She wasn't always fond of Amata's plans, and her anger and frustration were boiling over her limits of patience. Despite all that, she knew she had no choice but to take her friend's advice, for she had none for herself. "Tell me."

"Listen: there's a secret tunnel that leads directly from my father's office to the exit. You'll have to hack the computer to open it. Use these to get into his office," Amata pulled two bobby pins from her hair, and shoved them into Ana's hand, "that's how I always get in."

"Alright," Ana replied hard, pocketing the bobby pins. Anger still raged inside her internal cage, and she had to fight to keep it in check. She was afraid that if she spoke any more words, she would take her emotions out on Amata.

"Oh, one more thing. I stole my father's pistol. I hope you don't need it, but you'd better take it just in case."

A gun. Ana looked upon the pistol as Amata pulled it from the back of her belt and held it before her in both hands. It was a ten millimeter, a good enough weapon for protection. But Ana was sure she would kill someone out of rage if she had the gun. "No, you keep it. You may need it more than I do."

"Well... okay. It may come in handy if I run into any of my father's men," Amata said. Ana felt fear for her friend at this statement; even Amata's father would have his men attack his own daughter if she was caught. She felt the gun would be better off in Amata's hands. "All right, I'll try to meet you at the exit. If I'm not there, don't wait for me. Good luck!"

"Be safe, Amata!" Ana called after her friend as the girl ran from the room. Ana looked around her room, feeling a wave of thoughts and emotions come over her. Her father had left her behind in the vault. Why did he leave? And why did he leave her there? Along with the frustration of her father's disappearance, Jonas's murder filled her with hate and scorn. She was afraid that if she took the gun from Amata, she would surely kill her friend's father if she came across him.

The alarm continued to buzz consistently in the small apartment, and it reminded Ana of her situation. She had to act quickly. Lunging forward, she grabbed for her baseball bat and her BB gun (it would do no damage to the guards, but it would act as deterrence), then she whipped open the medical kit and took all the supplies inside. Ana then lifted the Pip-Boy that was attached to her arm, as was it on every vault dweller's, and she punched in the commands to storing equipment. A small green laser shined out from the top of the Pip-Boy, and Ana scanned each item, feeling them disappear in her hand as the Pip-Boy stored them as data.

Her Pip-Boy was different from every one else's in the vault; working with Stanley, the Pip-Boy mechanic, had proven to have it's advantages, including learning the tricks of how to make the best out of the biologically attached Pip-Boy. Most people could store data and a few items in their Pip-Boy, including pencils and notebooks, but Ana could carry as much weight in the Pip-Boy as her body could carry. Every time an item was entered into the Pip-Boy, the weight was redistributed over her body through the mechanism, making itself the most useful pack anyone could have.

Ana kept her baseball bat, holding it in her hands with a firm grip. Six years on the American Argonauts vault baseball team had given her an impressive striking arm, with a three hundred plus home run career under her belt. Her slightly calloused hands felt at home across the bat, and she squeezed it firmly. She would be protected well enough without a gun. Ana looked around her room once more for items, then dashed into the living room to find other useful provisions. As she whipped her head around the room, her eyes fell upon the framed photograph of her and her father nine years before. He had just given her the BB gun for her birthday, and Jonas took their picture. What better days those were.

"I'll find you, Dad," Ana muttered to herself, "please be safe."

Taking a deep breath, Ana rushed out from her quarters, and turned right down the hall. She gasped lightly as her eyes fell upon a silhouetted security guard at the end of the hall. "There she is! Don't move!" he called, pointing at her intently. Ana gripped her baseball bat, and shifted her footing offensively, staring the man down.

Suddenly, two radroaches flew at the guard from the adjacent hallway, and a third attacked him from behind. The giant mutated insects must have found their way into the vault after her father had broken the barrier between the inside and the outside. "Shit!" the guard exclaimed, swiping at the ferocious insects with his baton, "get 'em off!"

Ana surveyed the situation, and rushed forward, slipping past the battle that waged between man and insect, feeling remorse at leaving the man behind to fight off the predators alone. Deep down, Ana knew that he would turn on her once the radroaches were dead. Ana was the most hated enemy of the vault now, and saving the people would not save her from their wrath. She picked up her pace when she heard the security guard's voice boom from behind her as he continued to fight off the insects. "You won't get away! You won't get away from this!"

Suddenly, as Ana came across the next T-intersection of the hallway, someone leapt out from the corner, stopping dead in front of Ana. She planted her feet firmly, and held her bat at the ready. If the authoritative members of the vault weren't her worst enemy, Butch was. The arrogant-ignorant greaser had been Ana's rival since infancy, and her hate for him boiled at the bottom of her soul. Her father had always told her hate was a strong word, and she agreed, reserving it only for Butch.

"You gotta help me! My mom's trapped in there with the radroaches!" he blurted.

Ana did not budge, and her feet stayed planted on the floor, her eyes burning holes into Butch. The boy looked genuinely frightened and in need of help, but it did not motivate Ana to change her ways for him. "Butch, asking for help. If only you knew what 'irony' meant," she said, her voice dripping with hate.

"Yeah, I'm asking you. So what? Look, I'm sorry for the way I've always treated you. You know I didn't mean it, right? This is my Mom, you can't leave her in there with the radroaches!"

For all she hated Butch, she knew he was right. She could not leave Butch's mother to an ill fate because of her extreme distaste for her son. As Ana motivated herself to step forward and help the woman, the security guard behind her beat off the last Radroach, and bellowed after Ana as he started to chase her.

"Here, take my BB gun," Ana said quickly, punching a few commands on her Pip-Boy and grabbing the gun from her back as it materialized from the downloaded data and handed it to Butch. She hated to part with her prized possession, but she was left with little choice.

"Oh, hey, thanks! I think I can take on those radroaches now!" Butch said, rather oblivious to Ana's need to escape the security guard. A pack of fifty pellets were attached to the gun, and she handed the entire thing over to her rival, and dashed quickly from the scene without looking back. She only hoped Butch would be competent enough with the weapon to save his mother.

"Come back _here!_" the security guard roared behind her, and Ana pumped her long legs faster. As she passed the Cafeteria, he growled in frustration as another Radroach scuttled forward into his path. Ana did not stop running until she reached the staircase.

As her legs carried her up the flight of stairs, the PA system activated over the alarm, and Amata's father, the Overseer, relayed a message over the intercom:

_The Radroach infestation is under control. Do not interfere with Vault security personnel. Any resident found outside his or her quarters will be dealt with severely._

Ana bolted to the top of the stairs, and rounded the corner. The hallway appeared empty, until a bolt of fire suddenly blasted forth in Ana's path, causing her to flail herself backwards. She looked to her left from where the fire came, and saw the Mister Handy bot, Andy, (whom she had worked by with Stanley for several years) blasting fire towards a small horde of radroaches. Officer Gomez stood behind the floating robot, attacking the radroaches that ran beneath it. A Radroach suddenly jumped towards Ana, and she growled fiercely, swinging her bat downwards at it in mid air. The exoskeleton of the insect crumpled beneath her swing, and the corpse smashed against the ground, sending white goo flying in different directions.

"Ana!" Officer Gomez called as he batted at a Radroach trying to reach him from beneath Andy, "You're lucky it was me who found you, the others won't be so forgiving!"

"Nor would I," Ana said angrily, then forced herself to carry a softer tone as she called over the sounds of the Radroach slaughter, "but thank you, Officer Gomez. You were always kind to me."

"It's a real shame it's come to this," he replied to her, grunting as his baton crunched the head of another Radroach, "It's unbelievable what they did to Jonas. Officer Mack was just out of control!"

Ana said nothing, but covered her eyes from the heat as another flare of Andy's flamethrower killed the last of the radroaches.

"Ana," Officer Gomez said as Stanley emerged from her dad's medical office behind him, "Go find your dad, if you can."

"I'll try," Ana said, her voice still strong with determination, but a falter of sadness affected her words. "Thank you both. Goodbye."

Ana turned from them quickly, and ran down the hall towards the Atrium door. Her hand slapped the switch to open the lock, and the door slid upwards, granting her access.

"It's our only chance! Don't you see?" a voice rang throughout the atrium as soon as Ana stepped in. "We're getting out of here, just like the Doctor! I'm not gonna let anyone stop us!" It was Tom Holden.

Ana stepped around the corner, lowering her bat as she approached. She knew from his words that Tom would be on her side. But as she came into view, Tom bolted towards the door to the Vault control room, where the Vault's door to the outside would be.

"Tom, be careful!" his wife Mary called. Ana stepped forward, her hand held outward and her jaw open to shout after him with Mary. Gun shots burst out from the hallway, and Tom screamed as his body hit the floor. Ana's eyes grew wide, and Mary shrieked, "Tom, no!"

Mary ran down the hall after Tom, and Ana called after her. "No, wait!" Ana tried to chase after her to stop her; if she could not save Tom, she would save Mary. As soon as Mary rounded the corner, her head snapped back as a bullet embedded itself into her skull, and she fell to the floor dead next to her deceased husband.

Ana squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. She ducked low next to the hallway's opening, and contemplated her next move. She then saw the door to the next floor propped open by a locker; someone must have shoved it under the sliding door before the Overseer's override on the automatic doors could seal the third floor off from the rest of the vault completely. Standing tall and readying herself, Ana dashed across the hallway's opening, catching the guards by surprise as she ran through the open door and up the staircase.

Ana walked cautiously along the open catwalk, peering into the round window of the Overseer's office from across the large room. On any other day, Ana would find him standing in that room, overlooking the people of the vault. He was not there. But where was he? Ana shoved off the thought, and jogged quickly across the room to the other side, towards the maintenance department.

"Hold it right there!" Chief Hannon called as she rounded the corner inside. She gasped, ducking as the man swiped at her head with his baton. Ana turned towards him, holding her bat before her in a defensive position. She was doomed now; there was no possible way she could escape a fight with the Chief of Vault security. They circled each other, holding their weapons at the ready.

"Give it up, Ana," Hannon threatened, "just hand yourself over now and all this can be put behind us."

Ana opened her mouth to reply, and Hannon swept his baton towards her arm. Ana ducked down and let the baton swipe over the hairs of her head. With swift movements, she gripped the bat, and swung it forcefully into Hannon's kneecap.

"Agh!" he called, his side crumpling as he reached for his wound. He limped sideways from Ana and fell over onto the floor. "You, you—"

Ana stood slowly, looking over Hannon with frightened eyes. After a moment of him cursing her, she pressed a key on the green screen of her Pip-Boy, and held her hand out in front of her as the command created a stimpak to materialize in her palm. She threw it down towards Hannon, avoiding his eyes. "I hope you know how to use it," she growled, and turned to continue towards the Overseer's office.

"I told you, I don't know anything!" Amata's dim voice called from behind the walls. Ana froze on her step, feeling fear grip her. _Oh no_,she thought, _they found her_.

"Please, Amata, Officer Mack might enjoy this, but I don't."

Ana's head buzzed with rage at the Overseer's flimsy words, and her hands wrung the grip of her baseball bat. She approached the window of the security office area, and peered into it from the corner.

"She's my friend, I was worried about her. What does she have to do with any of this anyway?"

"Probably nothing, which is why you should tell us where she is," Amata's father cooed. He stood in front of her with Officer Mack, and the two men towered over the young woman in her chair. Ana knew she would have less luck fighting off Officer Mack _and_ the Overseer compared her fight with Chief Hannon, but she willed her feet forward, and she made a move to open the door and ambush them to save Amata.

"Watch out sir, she's got a gun!"

Ana paused in her step again, and peered through the window. Amata had jumped from the chair and backed herself into the corner, holding her pistol at the two men.

"Amata, where did you get that gun?!" her father hissed.

"Just get away from me! I don't want to shoot you, but I will! I swear, I will!"

Ana gripped her bat, and kept herself hidden behind the window. _No, Amata, keep calm, keep calm..._. Ana wished that Amata had never found the gun in the first place.

"How dare you threaten me!" The Overseer growled at his daughter, "and with my own gun! I'm your father, damn you, you show me some respect!" The words were spoken with such venom, that Ana herself felt her bravery waver slightly. "Officer Mack, don't just stand there!"

Ana watched in horror as Officer Mack made his way around the chair towards Amata. "Don't make me take that gun away from you girlie, just hand it over, nice and easy now."

"No!" Amata shrieked as her finger squeezed the trigger over and over, pelting bullets into the man, "Get away from me!"

Officer Mack fell dead to the floor, and the three remaining people looked upon his body in utter shock. Ana's grip on the bat loosened, and her mouth slowly parted.

"Oh my God, Amata! what have you done?" the Overseer cried, eying his daughter down. Amata sobbed once, holstered the gun on her belt, and dashed past her father. He did not stop her as she fled the security office and exited the hallway.

"Amata, wait!" Ana called, but the other woman continued to run, her head in her hands as she dashed towards her father's office. Ana looked through the window again, and caught the Overseer's eyes on hers. With a glare of total contempt, she stepped slowly towards the security office door, and approached the Overseer, her bat held at the ready.

"I hope you're here to turn yourself in young lady, you're in enough trouble as it is. Don't make it worse for yourself."

Ana shook the bat, baring her teeth. "You loathsome sack of shit! How _dare_ you! Amata's your daughter! If you ever threaten her again, I swear to God I'll make you regret it!"

"I place the good of the vault above everything, even my own paternal feelings." Ana spat at him. His eyes closed momentarily before opening again as he continued his speech. He didn't bother to wipe the spit away. "We must not allow sentiment to cloud our judgment! I do admire your protective instincts, however. Therefore, I promise not to harm Amata again over the affairs of the vault."

"And Jonas?" Ana growled, "what about his affairs with the vault? He had nothing to do with my father's leaving, and nor do I!"

"I wouldn't go so far as to presume Jonas's involvement, young lady," the Overseer retorted, "your father's actions has placed everyone's safety in jeopardy! Now you must face the consequences!"

"You're nothing but a murderer and a thug," Ana replied viscously, "these people don't have a leader, they are all enslaved by a scoundrel!"

"My dear girl, had you paid attention to Mr. Brotch in class, you would have learned that history is invariably written by the victor, and I intend to be victorious!"

Ana's hands flexed, and she readied her body to swing the bat forcefully into the Overseer's head, but she stayed herself. Despite her desire to end the miserable man's life, he was Amata's father, and Ana knew that her friend still needed him, no matter how psychotic and illogical he became. But beyond that, she felt she would be ruining her father's name and her own by spilling the Overseer's blood upon it.

"Guards, she's over here!" he called. Ana glared him down once more with ice cold eyes before backing out of the room and jogging off towards the office area before the security personnel could arrive.

Ana ran the short distance to the doorway that led to the offices, where the Overseer's office and secret tunnel would be. As she rounded the corner through the doorway, she could see Jonas's body laying on the floor, a lamp shrouding him in a spotlight as if enunciating her guilt. Ana's guard lowered, and she relaxed her grip on the bat. She walked forward slowly, free of worry of any intruding security guards, her only concern being the mourning of her friend. Jonas had been like a brother to her over the long hard years of adolescence under the pressure of bullying and solitude. She knelt down softly beside him, looking over his peaceful face. It was almost as if he was sleeping, and hadn't really been beaten to death.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ana caught the tip of a holotape sticking out from Jonas's pocket. She looked from the tape to Jonas's face, almost as if expecting an answer, then plucked the item from his pocket, and sliding it into her Pip-Boy. Her fingers were hasty as she tapped her commands on the screen, and played the recording. Her father's voice emitted from her Pip-Boy, and Ana nearly gasped out of surprise at the sound of his words.

"_Hold on Jonas, I need to record this first. I... I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end, I decided it was best for you not to know. So many things could have gone wrong, and there's really no telling how the Overseer will react when he finds out. It's best if he can blame everything on me. _

"_Obviously you already know that I'm gone; it was something I needed to do. You're an adult now, and you're ready to be on your own. Maybe someday things will change and we can see each other again. I can't tell you why I left, or where I'm going; I _don't_ want you to follow me. God knows life in the Vault isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe. Just knowing that will be enough to keep me going."_

"_Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with."_

"_Okay,"_ her father seemed to say apprehensively,_ "go ahead. Goodbye—I love you."_

Ana's face was hard as she contemplated those words of her father. She understood the logic behind his reasoning for leaving her in the vault perfectly, however, she was most obviously not safe left in the vault, and the fact that he hadn't the trust to bring her along stung as if it were an implication of her incompetence. Her father was the most important man in her life, and he had left her behind in his trail of guilt and injustice.

Suddenly, an involuntary sounding sob filled Ana's ears, and she pivoted on her toes from her squatted position on the floor, looking towards the doorway where the sound came from. Ana slowly stood, her jaw flexing in uncertainty. Amata was in that room.

Ana walked slowly and gently into the room, afraid that quicker movements would somehow insult Amata in her fragile state. The poor girl had just killed a man. Amata sat in a chair by a table in the dark room, her head in a hand, and her father's pistol shaking in her other. She cried again, less muffled this time, as Ana brushed her shoulder with her fingertips sympathetically.

"Oh my God," Amata stuttered through tears, "I had no idea my father would... and Officer Mack, I—I had no choice, I..." she stumbled over her words, and cried hard. With her hand shaking noticeably, she handed the gun towards Ana: "here, take it. I don't want it anymore."

Ana felt guilt for not taking the gun in the first place, for not sparing Amata from this horrible ordeal. Her fingers gently grabbed the gun, and pulled it away from her friend's tight grasp. "You had no choice, you did only what you had to do," Ana stated in a voice tinted with sympathy.

"I don't know," Amata replied shakily, shaking her head, "I don't know."

As Ana watched her troubled friend cry, she realized that she _was_ just as guilty as her father for causing the vault such distress. There was so much she could have done to prevent people from getting hurt or killed, and she didn't do any of those things. Her father may have opened the door, but Ana felt she only fed the fire of chaos that it had started. Ana squeezed Amata's shoulder, then turned from the room, holstering the ten millimeter on her utility belt. Straight across from Amata's small sitting room was the Overseer's personal office. With an angry heart, she approached the door, picking one of Amata's bobby pins from her pocket.

Ana surveyed the situation, and decided that she would need something to act as a torque in order to pick the lock. Looking hastily around the room, she caught a glimpse of a screw driver sitting on a nearby desk. She placed her bat against the wall haphazardly, and she snatched up the screwdriver, sticking its slotted head into the base of the lock's opening. With cautious movements, Ana inserted the tip of the bobby pin into the lock at a slight angle, then turned the screw driver slowly clockwise, twisting it as she turned. The lock _clicked_ upon her success, and she smiled triumphantly as the door slid open, granting her access.

The room was empty and simple, yet intimidating. Even though Ana was careful under her father's advice not to pick fights with Wally Mack or Butch DeLoria on a regular basis (though it was so easy to do), she still found herself standing in the Overseer's office as she grew up because of her rivalry with the boys. Pushing away the brief wave of fright, Ana approached the computer behind the desk, and entered in the command to login. The cursor blinked at her as it requested the password, and Ana drummed her fingers impatiently on the sides of the computer. She had no idea how much time she had before the security guards showed up, and she only had four attempts to find the correct password. Taking the most obvious guess, Ana typed in _Amata_ quickly and hit the return key, almost expecting the password to be rejected. The Overseer couldn't care that much about his daughter to use her name as a password, could he?

The terminal _blipped_ as the password was accepted, and Ana laughed shortly in surprise. A few extra commands appeared below the computer's listed serial number, and before she could highlight _Open Overseer's Underground Tunnel_, a section caught her eye. Ana's brow furrowed slightly before she selected it, and three more documents appeared: a text document from a scouting party in the wastes, and two pictures. Ana felt her jaw open wide, and tried to collect herself as she opened the document. The Vault had not been sealed shut for two hundred consecutive years; the Wasteland was a known territory of the Overseer. Ana's life had been a lie.

As she read over the document, Ana gasped and faltered, reading the words over and over. _Mutated wildlife. Settlements. People. _How could it be true? Did the Overseer lie to them all? Did her father lie to her for nineteen years?

Ana tapped the "notes" option on her Pip-Boy, and folded out a small data disk from the left side and plugged it into the computer's port. She saved a copy of the scouting report and the two pictures (one of a large mutated ant, and the other of the settlement Megaton as mentioned in the document) and returned the disk to her Pip-Boy. The information was processed quickly, and the picture of Megaton was automatically loaded and downloaded onto the green screen of the Pip-Boy. _Megaton_, Ana thought, _if it's anywhere he'll be, it's there_. Ana was determined to find her father and set the situation right, no matter what the obstacle. She would convince him to come home to the vault. They could fix this mess still.

Ana returned to the main screen of the Overseer's terminal, and entered the command to open the tunnel. Metal gears seemed to creak and groan as she hit the return key, and she straightened slowly and turned as the desk began to rise up from the ground. Ana walked around the complicated device, nodding in her approval of the mechanics of the entrance as the hydraulic pumps held the desk above the mouth of the tunnel and the floor slid backwards to reveal a staircase down. Ana descended it quickly, the sounds of radroaches and infuriated security guards behind her encouraging her to pick up her speed.

Ana rushed through the door at the end of the tunnel, and ran through a red-lit hall. She ran past a few radroaches, finding her time cut short to deal with any enemies. She reached the end of the hall, and her hand slapped against the control pad to open the door. The large cement block slid slowly into the ground, revealing the Vault door control room. Ana's jaw hung open as she surveyed the place. She had never been in the room before, for it wasn't permitted to non-Vault-tec personnel. Ana walked along the computer station into the main open room, and approached the control panel that would activate the door. She looked it over briefly before she discerned the mechanics of the board, then she pressed a few buttons hesitantly, and hit _execute_.

A yellow caution light began to spin and illuminate the room, and a loud blaring alarm filled Ana's ears. She stepped back from the control panel and watched the Vault door pod drop down from the ceiling and align itself with the door's laser recognition bay. She heard muffled shouts from the door behind her as the two security guards realized the vault door was opening. A body banged against the hard steel, then one of them cussed. "Open this door right now!" one muffled voice commanded, and Ana watched the vault door nervously as it slowly rolled to the side, presenting a frightening cave-like tunnel. As the large circular door came to a slowing halt, the caution light and the alarm ceased, leaving Ana to her silent awe.

"Oh my God, you actually opened it!" Amata said suddenly from behind her, and Ana whipped her head around in surprise to face her friend. "I almost didn't think it was possible!"

"Nor did I," Ana said pensively, staring into the tunnel beyond. Fingers of light poured in through cracks at the end, beckoning her forward. Ana looked upon the tunnel with an angry disposition, and Amata recognized it right away.

"If anyone can survive out there, it's you," Amata reassured, and placed a hand on Ana's shoulder.

Ana turned her gaze back to Amata, and searched her eyes for a moment. "Why don't you come with me?" she asked, yet somehow she knew it would be a rhetorical question.

"It's tempting, but... my place is here. The vault needs me more than you do. Besides, I'm the only one who has a chance of talking some sense into my father."

Amata's eyes then shifted to the floor, guilt possessing her features. "If you do catch up with your dad, tell him I'm sorry for... you know, for Jonas and everything.

"Good luck, Ana, and goodbye."

"Goodbye, Amata." Ana felt sadness sting her like a crack from a whip as she then realized the possibility that she may never see her friend again. She held Amata's gaze with her hardened eyes, trying to hold on for a moment longer.

The door behind them swung open forcefully with a kick, and the two security guards burst forward with batons in hand.

"There she is! I'll need some help with this one!"

Ana looked to the coming security guards, and without a second glance she bolted towards the vault door, and Amata turned back through the control room towards the secret tunnel again. Ana let her legs burn as she forced them to run beyond their ability. She jumped from the top of the small staircase and landed on the dusty cement floor nimbly, making her way towards the light at the end of the tunnel, towards her future and inevitable fate.

"I'm not crazy enough to go out there!" the other security guard shouted, and Ana threw a glance over her shoulder to see the two security guards hovering at the vault door entrance. She slowed her dash to a slow jog before pausing in the dirty cave path. She leaned forward on her knees, squeezing her eyes shut and panting lightly. She had only been awake for half an hour, but the world had drastically changed beyond belief.

The light and the alarm came to life again, and Ana shot up and turned to see the vault door rolling shut behind her, closing her off from her past for good. As the door came fully across the entrance, Ana looked ahead in the cave, and promised herself she wouldn't look back again.

Before her was a shabby door with what looked like holes in it, for light was spilling through at odd places. Ana approached it apprehensively, and studied the door. She couldn't see the outside; the light coming through the cracks was too bright. But the door was so _strange—_it wasn't like the other Vault-tec doors in the Vault. There was no mechanism to open it, and the material it was made from was not metal, but from some inefficiently constructed boards bolted together to cover the opening of the cave. Ana considered beating her way through, but she realized her father must have found his way out without breaking the door, for it seemed unharmed by touch (though it seemed to have been harmed by time). Looking it over carefully once more, Ana tentatively pushed it, and the door opened easily and slowly forward, creaking as it went like the door to her private shooting gallery. At this comparison, Ana felt immensely more at home. Then, the intense light hit her eyes.


	2. Megaton

_Thanks to El-Jorro for teaching me about hammer-space, that's pretty funky stuff._

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

Chapter Two: Megaton

Ana threw an arm up over her face, squinting noticeably as she braced herself from the harsh light of the outside world. Even though she was temporarily blinded, she walked forward slowly, embracing the sounds and feelings that enveloped her. Her boots crunched gravel of the earth as she walked, wind whipped her short locks about her, and hot air wrapped around her every limb from the unbelievable weather of the world. Ana stopped in her tracks and lowered her arm, opening her eyes slightly to observe the world. The bright light dimmed slowly, and the most awe-inspiring sight she had ever seen filled her eyes. Ana gasped quietly and let her jaw hang open as she observed the Wasteland for the first time, taking in the brown and amber appearance of the landscape.

A small cliff stood to her left, and she walked forward onto it to get a better look of her newly discovered world. Dead looking trees stood on the world below, their limbs reaching up to the sky, as if begging for rain. Wind gusts tossed around the dirt and sand of the desert-like landscape relentlessly, and destroyed buildings and cars lay strewn haphazardly across the ground, littering it with the reminder that the world that once had been was long lost. Ana shifted her gaze to the north, and she could just make out a familiar structure. Ana lifted her Pip-Boy, and scrolled through the data files she had copied from the Overseer's computer. She opened a picture file, and looked upon the angled shot of Megaton's entrance. Looking back into the distance, she eyed the giant structure. If she had any hope of finding her father, she would begin there.

Ana realized with a pang of annoyance that she had left her prized bat in the office area. She quickly dissipated her ill feelings, considering that her memories would be best left behind in Vault 101. Ana stood tall, exhaling sharply as she wiped her slate clean, and turned to head down the steep slope and enter the Wasteland to find her father.

Ana looked both ways at the bottom of the hill, deciding her next move. It would be easiest to follow the roads to Megaton rather than through the desert. Checking the information on her Pip-Boy, she discerned the best course of action would be to turn northwards and follow the road around to Megaton.

The sights, sounds and feelings of the outside world were still so unfamiliar to her that she moved at a slow pace, taking everything in. Mr. Brotch's lessons taught her of what the post-war environment was like, and how the world was nothing like the Vault. She read of sunlight, of wind, but reading and experiencing were two different things. The difference between the cool dark air of the vault underground was substantially different from the heat and the harsh brightness of the world she was thrown into so grimly.

Ana carefully stepped over rubble and dirty brown puddles that littered the ruined road, and as she followed the bend down the slight slope, the remains of an old town came into view. She looked it over carefully, and as she approached it apprehensively, she stepped on a metal object that scraped against the asphalt gingerly. She looked down, and removed her boot to see the item. _Springvale_ was painted across the decrepit sign in classic blue and white handwriting.

As she neared the end of the hill on the road, she found herself walking between the ruins of Springvale; the frames of old houses stood tall, looming over her as she traversed through their wake. Wind whipped a dust cloud through the air, throwing her hair about, and forcing her to squint and cover her eyes. When the dust passed, she opened her eyes again and stopped in her tracks, her hand hovering over her pistol. A floating object hovered towards her; antennae protruded from its front, and as it glided past Ana passively, a flute-played song played from the speaker on its front. From the audio files in the vault, Ana recognized it as a patriotic tune from before the war. As the thing neared her, a small camera in an eye window _whirred _in her direction and zoomed in on her. Ana watched the small bot as it glided past, listening to the song it emitted and watching its mechanics. From the looks of it, the small robot was used as a security cam, or a spy cam, if it were.

When the bot was out of ear shot, Ana turned her attention down the main road again. Roughly thirty feet in front of her was a fake rocket, a remnant of the pre-war era, which stood as a landmark to where a gas station used to stand. A chain link fence boxed the rocket in a small square, and resting upon the fence was a rusted iron board, with a scrawling _Megaton_ painted across its face, with an arrow pointing up the road. Ana set herself into a relaxed jog, a feeling akin to excitement overwhelming her, and headed up the hill as the sign indicated. In a swift pace, she dodged small sized boulders and ditches in the road, panting slightly as she made her way up the hill. Ana slowed her pace as she neared the top, and she stumbled slightly, tripping over a stone. As she righted herself, she peered over the short valley presented by the hill top, witnessing Megaton for the first time.

The picture she had downloaded from the Overseer's computer hardly did the town justice. The walls of the town were made from some sort of scrap, and stood at least thirty feet tall, isolating the town in safety from the rest of the Wastes. The front was something that impressed her above all; two iron shields were embedded into the ground, folded over each other like wings, intimidating any who may approach.

Ana made her way down the hill slowly, watching her footing as she approached the town with uncertainty. The valley at the bottom of the hill became a dip; Megaton sat upon a rise, and once Ana reached the bottom of her hill, she had to climb yet another. The gates of the makeshift town came closer, and when they where only yards away, an engine in between the two wings began to stir and turn with life, and the two wings were drawn upwards. Ana watched them with an intent gaze.

"**WELCOME TO MEGATON. THE BOMB IS COMPLETELY SAFE, WE PROMISE."**

Ana looked down from the retreating doors towards the source of the monotone computer generated voice. A RobCo Protectron stood by the entrance, his eye-cam scanning the horizon as his programming responded to her presence, initiating the conversation process. Ana giggled shortly in surprise, looking over the relic. Protectrons were also pre-war productions, and were a thing Ana only ever saw in textbooks. Of course they had a Mister Handy in the vault for over two hundred years after its commission, but it was in the presence of maintenance and a convenient environment. For a Protectron to still be functioning in such a decrepit land was more than fascinating, it was a full blown miracle.

"**NEED SOME GRUB? TRY THE BRASS LANTERN."**

Ana moved forward, keeping her eyes locked on the fascinating robot. A cough suddenly caught her off guard, and she reluctantly turned her gaze from the machine to the man sitting off to the side of the entrance. He wore rags for clothes, and his hair and beard were just as dirty as his face. He lay weakly in the dirt, coughing faintly as he tried to call out to Ana. Of all the amazing sights and sounds of the Wasteland, the truth of it all was the hardest to accept; life was harsh and relenting. His eyes might have been on her, but they were so unfocused. He clutched his throat, and wheezed weakly again.

"**THIRSTY, PARTNER?..."**

After deciding there was nothing she could do for the man, Ana moved towards the open gates. Two large sliding doors stood inside the opening of the two wings. Clenching her fists, Ana moved towards the doors intently, and after a moment of studying, she opened the door clumsily by sliding it sideways.

As soon as she stepped into the town, she slid the heavy door behind her, sighing as it closed with a _clank_. She turned around to view the town, feeling amazement at what she saw. The town was essentially a crater, with buildings made from the same scrap material as the city walls that were perched on the slopes. Ana looked over the town, her jaw open wide as she admired the shabby construct of the expansive town, when a man approached her from the slope.

"I'll be damned, you're from that vault: Vault 101." Ana looked down to watch the man climb the hill towards her as he spoke. He seemed to look like a fictional sheriff; he wore a long duster and a cowboy hat, and a silver star pinned to his chest shone in the light. Ana's first impression upon the man's sight was anything but respectful, but the butt end of an assault rifle peering up from his back caught her eye, and she quickly put herself in her place.

"Ha," he laughed before he continued, still walking up towards her, "I ain't seen one of those jumpsuits in a long time."

He came to a stop in front of Ana, and although he was slightly taller than her, she still stood over him on the slope. "Name's Lucas Simms," he said, sticking out his hand, "town sheriff, and mayor too, when the need arises." Ana shook his hand, then released it, allowing him to continue. "I don't know why, but I like you girl. Something tells me you're all right. So welcome to Megaton; just holler if you need something."

"Thank you, Mr. Simms," Ana said smoothly, but almost hesitantly, "I appreciate that."

"Friendly _and_ well mannered! I think we're going to get along just fine. You treat my people nice and you're welcome to stay as long as you like."

"About that," Ana replied, motioning over her shoulder, "there's a man outside the gate, I think he needs drinking water."

"Ah, that's Micky," Lucas replied, almost lamely, "yeah, he's been begging the traders that have been comin' through for the last—oh... two days now. He's sick with Radiation poisoning, but he's stolen medical supplies from Doc Church a couple of times, so I can't let him back into town to get fixed up."

"Isn't there anything you can do for him, though?" Ana asked, "isn't there a water supply here?"

"Sure there is," Lucas replied, his voice taking on a slight sarcastic tone as he folded his arms, "but it'll turn him green and make him sprout limbs from unnatural places. We've done all we can for that poor bastard, but he never learns his lesson. Besides, drinking water costs caps. Don't come preaching to me for a Godsend."

His tone would have made anyone else shrink away, but Ana gave a hard gaze at Lucas. It wasn't because she was angry at him for his belittlement of her, but because she knew he was right. "Right," she replied quietly, averting her gaze. She had never been in such a position before; someone was in need of her help on the brink of life and death, and she could not help.

"I'm glad we understand each other," Lucas's arms unfolded, and his face seemed to relax a bit more from underneath his shaggy beard. "Now, is there something I can help you with?"

Ana sighed, trying to put the thought of Micky from her mind, "Well, I'm looking for my father, middle aged man. Have you seen him?"

"Nope, sorry. I've got enough fires to put out in this place that I don't have time to keep tabs on _every_ visitor," Lucas stated thickly, "I'd ask around town."

"Could you point me in the right direction, then?" Ana asked him kindly, scanning over the town quickly. She could make out a few trade posts, but she wasn't sure where to start.

"Sure thing, partner. What do you need to find?"

Ana thought for a second. Being cooped up in a vault had left her cooped up from the "real world", but she still read stories and excerpts of such situations. In westerns, whenever a cowboy wanted information, he went to a saloon. She quickly eyed over Lucas's slightly ironic appearance in this context, then asked: "Is there a bar in town?"

"Sure is: Moriarty's. The entrance is on the top level, just opposite of the main gate. Just be careful; Moriarty is _not_ your friend, no matter what he may say, so don't fall for his lies, and for God's sake, don't trust him."

"Thanks," Ana said, nodding quickly and looking over his shoulder at the saloon in the distance, "I have to go now."

"Have a good one."

Metal planks were hammered into the slope of the crater, and Ana stepped down them precariously to cross to the other side. Water pipes lined the sides of the makeshift stairway, and a small spout of water burst out from one of the pipes. Drinking water _and_ a plumbing system. Ana was finding herself more and more impressed and appalled at the same time. Sure, Micky was a criminal, but they ostracized him just outside the town, so that he could be so close to water, yet be so far.

As Ana came to the bottom of the crater, she looked to the buildings on her side. A small diner stood on her left, and a few traders sat on bar stools, eating various small animals on sticks and drinking Nuka-Colas. Ana watched a woman intently as she took a sip of her refreshing soda. She was surprised that Nuka-Cola still existed two hundred years after its last production, but amongst all the things she had experienced that day, seeing a Nuka-Cola was the least surprising. She then looked to her right, and found the clinic. It had a ramp leading up to the door from the side, and a crumpled wheeling hospital bed lay by the door at the end. It looked like a slaughter house.

"Stand in his glow!" The voice drifted up from directly in front of her, and Ana looked in its direction. A man stood in a puddle, lifting his arms to the sky and preaching, while several people stood behind him, watching with judging eyes. What shocked Ana most was that he stood in a puddle directly in front of a large atomic bomb.

If Ana's jaw had hung wide the first time she saw the Wasteland, or when she first looked upon Megaton, it opened even wider now. She walked slowly towards it, caught in an amazed stupor. The back end faced her, and she could see by the jammed fan that it was dormant, but still capable of detonating. Ana finally understood several things at once: Megaton was named after its construction around the bomb, and the crater was created by the impact of the bomb when it fell. "Bask in his glory!" The man continued to preach.

Ana looked upon the man with estranged eyes. She was surprised his legs hadn't fallen off; he must have been standing in the puddle several times a day for hours on end, taking in who knew how much radiation poisoning. What bothered her more was the fact that he seemed to be venerating the bomb, like it was Jesus Christ himself or something. Ana felt a twinge of judgment enter her mind, but she bogged it down. Looking to her right, she found a pathway up to the top of the crater, and she started towards it, remembering her purpose in Megaton.

The pathways of the upper level in Megaton were created by slats of iron and old plane parts, and Ana studied each part as she walked along it. By the sounds her boots made as she walked across, she was certain she would fall to her doom at any moment. However, the construction was sturdy, and Ana even jumped up and down on one part of the pathway as she passed it.

As she landed on her boots again, smiling at the well constructed pathway at her feet, someone emerged from the building to her right. Ana looked up to see him, and realized she was standing next to the men's washroom. The man was extremely intimidating; he wore spiked armour, and an assault rifle was also attached to his back, like the sheriff's. He had a dirty face, with an equally dirty beard. He took a swig of foul smelling amber liquid in front of her, and Ana mumbled "Oh," beneath her breath as he drank. "Yeah, you want somethin'?" he asked her gruffly.

She eyed him up and down, but she forgot to keep her face in check. Ana's expression must've been one of repulsion, for the man sneered back, then wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist. "What were you doin' jumpin' up and down for?"

"It's clearly none of your business," Ana retorted, her defensive side coming to the surface. Every time Butch or Wally provoked her, she turned into someone else, her sweet disposition becoming a hard outer shell, which was impenetrable by anyone. Amata once coined it "unleashing the bitch".

"Oh-ho," the man scoffed, leaning back and giving her a contemptuous glare, "you're one of those vault assholes. Look, asshole, I don't like you. So stay away from me, and I promise not to pummel in your face."

"Oh, good," Ana replied rather calmly, "a mutual relationship. Very few of those these days."

The man sneered at her and walked away, taking another swig of his drink. Ana glared after him before walking through the small tunnel way before her, which seemed to be made form an old frame of a jet plane. So far, no one seemed overly accommodating in Megaton. Perhaps it was their right; she supposed manners and courtesy weren't prominent features of the Wasteland. When she emerged from the other side of the tunnel, she looked up close upon Moriarty's Saloon. Approaching it intently, she only had to study the door for a few seconds before she was able to understand its mechanisms. Door handles were quickly becoming commonplace with her.

As she entered the saloon, she wished she hadn't. An unfamiliar and extremely unpleasant smell hit her square in the face as she stepped in; smells that she was not akin to. From the stench in the bar, she was able to discern the smell of the asshole's drink as alcohol. She had never smelled or seen alcohol before, but she became extremely puzzled as to why people would want to drink the disgusting liquid. As the door closed behind her, the light from the outside world retreated, and the bar's dark and dank nature became more apparent. Light filtered in from holes in the walls, and a heavy air pushed down on Ana's lungs, making it harder for her to breathe. Amongst the smell of booze was something like sweat, but with an unpleasant sweetness to it. Ana was trying to figure out what it was when two people standing at the bar caught her attention. The sound of a faulty radio signal caught her ears, and she watched as the man behind the counter pounded on it.

"Argh! Come on you piece of junk!" he growled in a raspy voice as his fist kept pounding on the radio. "Every day it's the same damn thing."

"I told you, Gob, it's not the radio," the woman standing opposite him said, taking a drag of her cigarette. "The Enclave station comes in fine. It's Galaxy News; their signal's been shit lately."

"Work, come on, work! Wait, is that...?" he paused, listening to the radio. It seemed to almost work, then faded out again. "Dammit!"

"Knock it off, Gob," the woman said, shaking her head. Ana couldn't help but notice how _red _her hairwas; not even the books in the vault had that vibrant of red in it.

"Goddamn Radio!"

Ana approached them tentatively, and they both looked towards her as she got closer. Ana was not a timid person, so as they seemed to glare her down, she did not falter in her step. But as she got closer, Ana noticed details in the man's face she hadn't seen from a distance. His face was missing a nose, some skin, hair, and his eyes seemed glazed over, like he was already dead. Ana felt her heart beat quicken and her eyes widen for a moment, but she tried to calm herself as he approached. She did not want to appear frightened in the most dangerous place she had ever been in. As she came within ear shot of the red head and the ghoul-like man, he leaned forward on the bar, and spoke to her.

"Hey, smoothskin, do you need something? A drink maybe? Anything? Anything at all?"

Ana stopped in front of the bar, and she looked between the red head and the man. She did this to prevent herself from staring at the man's dead face so obviously. "I'm in need of some help," she replied strongly.

"Wait, you're not going to hit me?" the man stood straighter a bit, taken aback. "Yell at me? Not even berate me a little bit?"

"Well, no, I hadn't planned on it," Ana replied, "that's not generally how people ask questions of one another."

The red head snorted shortly, and took another drag of her cigarette. It was another thing that Ana had only seen in books, and she once again found herself confounded as to why people found themselves addicted to such foul smelling instruments.

"Well now," the man continued, "that's a surprise! I'm used to every smoothskin asshole in this town giving me shit just because I look like a corpse. Good to see there's still some worthwhile people around. Listen, Moriarty would give me a beating if he knew I was giving you a discount, but for you, I'll risk it."

"Well, thanks, I guess," Ana said, looking over the disgusting drinks on the counter that she would never wish to purchase in the first place, "nice to meet you both."

"Nova," the red head replied sweetly, looking at Ana in a way that made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Gob," the man replied, willingly distracting Ana from the flirtatious woman, "pleased to meetcha."

The radio flickered in and out again, and Ana motioned towards it. "What were you saying about radio stations?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean why was Gob banging on that radio?" Ana looked to Nova, and nodded. "Well, out there in the Wastes, there are two stations that broadcast. There's the Enclave station—I dunno who they are, but I think it might just be some pre-war broadcast on a loop—and there's Galaxy News Radio. It's run by a guy named Three Dog somewhere down in D.C., but the signal went down a while ago."

"Galaxy News Radio?" Ana questioned them both.

"Mister Moriarty says we can keep it on; it's a good radio station. I like hearing the DJ, Three Dog, and how he's helping to Fight the Good Fight." Gob sighed heavily, hitting his fist on the radio. He wasn't trying to fix it, it was out of frustration. "If only I was a part of that, instead of being stuck in this dive...."

Nova shook her head slightly, making a sad face at Gob. She turned towards Ana, eying her in the same awkward way again. "Well, sugar, you said you were in need of some 'help'?"

Ana gave a queer face to Nova, and quickly looked to Gob. She wasn't sure who's face made her more uncomfortable, the zombie-like face of Gob, or the overly sexual implications of Nova's. "Just information," she tried to reply evenly, "I'm looking for my father, he's an older man, about mid fifties. Has anyone like that come by?"

"You look a lot like him," Nova said, taking another drag of her cigarette, "Yeah, I remember that man. I saw him talking to Moriarty. It's hard to forget a handsome man like that."

She almost hadn't believed she was on the right track. "Can you tell me anything about him? What he came here for, where he went?"

"Yeah, I help you, then Moriarty kicks my sweet ass out the door." Nova said sarcastically. "Sorry, kid. If you wanna know more, Moriarty is the only one who's gonna help you."

Ana returned her gaze to Gob with a pleading glance, but he shook his head. Ana sighed, looking to her boots and shaking her head. "Where is he, this Moriarty?"

"He's in his room," Nova said, motioning over her shoulder to a door behind the counter. "Sorry, hon, can't let you back there, being it's his private quarters and all. You'll have to wait for him to come out."

"Thanks," Ana said defeated, and turned to leave the bar.

"Come back soon."

From the corner of her eye, Ana could see someone trying to wave her over. She looked to her left, and looked the man over. He looked shady, and out of place. While everyone else around town seemed to wear leather scraps and rags for clothes, he wore an old pre-war business suit with a dark colored hat and sunglasses. Ana looked around casually to ensure it was her he was trying to grab her attention. She approached him slowly in his isolated corner, leaving the bustle of the other bar patrons behind. Even though she was a strong willed and independent person, even approaching shady characters in bars was courageous for her. Normally, she wouldn't give someone like him the time of day, but as she was looking for her father, maybe he would have some information to help out. As she got closer, the man began to speak.

"My, my. Just when I had all but given up hope," the man said with a sinister smile, leaning forward in his seat and peering up at Ana, "my dear girl, I am very happy to make your acquaintance. I," he paused for dramatic effect, "am Mister Burke, and you, well, you are not a resident of this putrescent cesspool; that makes you a rather valuable individual."

"Excuse me?" Ana said, folding her arms and looking down at him questioningly, forgetting her train of thought.

"Don't you see? You're a free agent! You've no ties here, no interest in this settlement's affairs. Megaton means nothing to you!"

Ana looked upon him accusingly, and her mouth worked itself before she spoke: "Hey, I'm just looking for someone, I—"

"I represent certain interests... interests who view this town, this 'Megaton', as a blight on a burgeoning urban landscape. If this settlement were to... go away, why, who would really care? Certainly not you, or I...."

Ana felt like she would explode if she listened to more. "I'm not sure you and I are on the same track, Burke," she replied flatly. She balled her fists that were still wrapped around her chest.

"But don't we? Every man and woman here has a past so vulgar and despicable that none can be considered innocents. Murder, assault, slavery, theft; everyone here has committed some form of injustice, and their lives are of a heinous nature. My girl, they are but evils who spread their disease across the Wasteland like a weed choking the Tree of Life.

"Therefore, I am the recruiter, and you are the executioner. The undetonated atomic bomb for which this town is named is still very much alive; all it needs is a little... _motivation_. I have in my possession a Fusion Pulse Charge. Once rigged to the bomb, it will be detonated, by you, at a secure location. Easy money, my friend."

"How do you expect me to believe that all these people are more vile than you?" Ana said scathingly, stepping forward.

"My my, such unprovoked hostilities!" Mister Burke replied, leaning back in his chair in order to keep peering up to her face. "Very well, if you wish to see proof, might I suggest taking a look through Moriarty's personal files? He has quite the incriminating evidence against quite a few residents here. Perhaps that will be your deciding factor."

Ana gave him a concerned glare, and unfolded her arms as she turned to leave. "I'll be waiting here until you get back," Mister Burke said with another evil smile, leaning back in his chair, interlocking his fingers, and crossing his leg over the other. Ana hesitated in her step and considered him once more for a moment before turning away, heading for the exit of the bar.

Light and fresh air (at least, fresher air) enveloped her once again as she escaped the confines of the dungeon-like bar. On the path in front of Moriarty's entrance, a railing lined the iron slats, and offered an overlook of the entire town. Ana approached it quickly, and leaned on the railing by her elbows, resting her forehead on her hands. She evened out her breathing, then looked over the town. It was a run down looking place, but something about it still bothered her, like she knew somehow Mister Burke was right.

So many things had happened. How could her father leave the vault to a world like this? It was a wasteland hell in comparison to Vault 101, and Ana felt that if she weren't careful, she would be lost in a passing wind gust.

"Do you like it?" Someone suddenly spoke next to her, and Ana tried to keep herself from flinching in surprise. She looked to her right from where the odd voice came, and saw an older man. He mimicked her position against the railing, his elbows leaning against the rickety iron set up, and he looked over the town along side her. He wore black jeans and boots, a black leather vest with a white T-shirt underneath, and brass knuckled gloves that glinted in the harsh light. His hair and beard were white, and he looked at Ana from the corners of his aged and wise eyes. Ana looked at him questioningly, and he motioned over his shoulder at the bar. "My saloon, my home, my slice of heaven in this backwoods little burg."

He stuck a hand out towards her offering a smile, but it wasn't kind. "Colin Moriarty, at your service."

Ana didn't bother shaking his hand. Suddenly, Lucas's words about not trusting Moriarty didn't seem to be far off from exaggeration. "I understand you're the man to see about my father."

"My God," Moriarty said, shifting more full towards her, his hand dropping and his eyes widening in slight surprise, "it's you! The little baby girl, all grown up. Persistent little flower, ain't ya? Then and now, it would seem. It's been a long time, kid."

Not only was his odd accent obtrusive in Ana's understanding of his words, but the words themselves shocked her. She straightened slightly, looking up into his face. She didn't reply, but she kept staring at him with heated eyes. What did he mean, "it's been a long time"?

"Oh, your daddy passed through here all right; here and gone. Got what he came for, then left. I'm assuming you'll do the same, yes?"

"I think you have us mistaken for someone else," Ana replied sternly, forcing a confused smile, "my father an I were born in Vault 101."

"Is that what you're father told you? That you were born in that hole? That he was born there as well?" Moriarty chuckled, using the railing for support as he laughed at her words. "Oh, the lies we tell to those we love."

He straightened looking her over. "Your father brought you to the Vault right after you were born, to keep you safe, you see. I remember it well—you stayed in my saloon, after all. That's right, it was your father, his Brotherhood of Steel friend, and you, the suckling babe with nary a tit to suckle. Sorry about your mum, truly."

Ana gasped at him, then looked away. Not only was the vault not sealed for two hundred years, but it wasn't her birth place as she once believed. Her entire life as she perceived it was a lie. Not only was the secret of the vault's door kept from her, but her father had kept the secret of her life from her as well. Could she trust this man's words, though? Even though she had no inclination of believing his words, she somehow felt that she knew the truth all along. Of course she wasn't born there, nor was her father. People came and went over the years... how could she have been oblivious to it all, though?

"But, life goes on," Moriarty continued, motioning over the town, "Daddy lied. Life's full of little disappointments. And now, you're all grown up and wondering where he gone to...."

Ana wanted to reply, but she didn't. She turned her gaze towards Megaton again, looking it over as her mind raced.

"You know, I heard about the brainwashin' that goes on down there from some other fella, escaped—oh, I dunno... about five years back. _All hail the Overseer! We're born in the Vault, we die in the Vault!_ and all that assorted lunacy. Kid, you've got better programming than our own Deputy Weld, or so I should hope. You'd best wise up quick. Wouldn't want anyone... takin' advantage of ya, hm?"

Ana looked towards him, suddenly feeling suspicious. Even though she wasn't given proper prompt, Ana tried "unleashing the bitch". "Do you know where he went, or not?"

"You seem like a nice kid, so I'm gonna be straight with you. Your dad was here, and now he's not, and yes I know where he went. But what you're askin' for is information, and information is a commodity. Let's say... one hundred caps, and your daddy's location is yours. Very reasonable."

Ana sighed. She was starting to understand caps as the currency of the Wasteland, but caps of what, she wasn't entirely sure. Unfortunately, she hadn't a cap on her to trade. "I don't have one hundred caps," she said quietly.

"All right kid, let me help you out... you know, for old time's sake." He scratched his chin, humming to himself. "If you don't have the caps to pay for the information, then maybe you could do a little favour for me."

Ana was apprehensive, but she knew she had little choice. "Fine."

"This junkie bitch named Silver borrowed quite a few caps from me, claimed she could start funneling Jet and Psycho to me for a good price. Problem is she scammed me and holed herself up in a cabin south of here. Get the caps she owes me and they're yours... yours to pay me with, anyway," he said with a hearty chuckle.

The favour seemed harmless, but as it harboured in her mind for a moment, she began to realize its implications. "You want me to kill for you?" Ana said in loathing, standing tall and glaring at him.

"Well," Moriarty replied, straightening up with her, "if blows come to blows, m'dear, might as well make the best of it, yes?"

"I'm not doing your dirty work, Moriarty," Ana replied with venom, turning away, "forget it."

"All right, sweet lass, good luck finding your father," he called after her as she walked away, "just don't come crawlin' back to me for help when you need it."

Ana gritted her teeth as she walked away, trying to keep herself from kicking the railing childishly. As she neared the end of the walkway, she looked back over her shoulder. Moriarty had turned back to look over the town, not bothering to watch Ana as she retreated.

There was no chance she would get the information from him willingly, and she wasn't going to take money from anyone, no matter how guilty Moriarty claimed them to be.As she walked away, her mind began to tick, and she slowed in her step a bit, thinking things over. It suddenly donned on her that Moriarty's apparent "personal files" might have information on her father. She did a double take over her shoulder to ensure he wasn't watching her, then she made her way down the path, and inconspicuously turned left, towards the back of the bar. She would try to break her way into his room.

Ana was certain that if she was caught, she would be killed, but it was a risk she was willing to take. She thought she was willing to do anything to find her father, but becoming a thug was not something she was keen on doing in order to see him again. Instead, she would jump into the Lion's den and steal from him while he wasn't looking.

There was no one around, and Ana spotted a door that led into the back of Moriarty's Saloon. It was perfectly positioned to lead into Moriarty's room, so Ana took once last glance around her before she approached the door, pulling the last bobby pin from her pocket.

Ana was extremely handy with picking locks, but she knew she had to be extremely careful with Amata's last bobby pin, else she would have no possible chance of getting into Moriarty's room. She knelt down before the lock, and called up her screw diver from her Pip-Boy. The lock, she realized, was no different from the emergency override lock system that was on every door in the vault. Picking the lock to Moriarty's door would be no different from picking the Overseer's door. Placing the flat head at the base of the lock again, she angled her bobby pin inside, and began to twist the screw driver. After a few close calls, Ana got the angle just right, and heard the lock _click_ as it opened. She stood up again, pressing her ear to the door to listen for any noise. When she considered the room empty, she entered swiftly, closing the door behind her.

The room was small, but from where she stood, she could see Gob standing behind the bar from around the corner. A bed sat to her right, a wardrobe to her left, and a RobCo Industries Unified Operating System computer terminal hung from the wall directly in front of her. Once again, Ana was surprised. Protectrons, plumbing, Nuka-Cola, electricity, _and_ computers. If Ana were to see a fully fledged make your own atomic bomb kit, she was sure she wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

Ana approached the computer screen, and folded out the keyboard. She tried to work quickly and quietly, to ensure Gob or anyone would not hear her breaking into Moriarty's computer. Hacking his computer was not as easy as the Overseer's; she had no idea what the password might be, and so she was forced to bring up the password override command. A list of words appeared on the screen, and Ana searched through them. Odd characters separated the words, to ensure that a machine would not be able to find the correct word in four tries, and the computer would lock down. After studying the list of words, Ana typed in "Steeled", and the computer _blipped _ in response to the correct answer.

A list of available commands appeared, including Moriarty's personal entries on the visitors of Megaton. With quick fingers, Ana selected the file, and waited for the screen to load. _Mr. Burke _and _James (Vault 101)_ were the only tow listed, and Ana smiled excitedly to herself as she selected his name. She read the passage over several times:

_So, out of nowhere, James came back to Megaton. Since he stayed here before he asked me where the hell he could get a lay of the land and find out what's going on in the world. I told him about Galaxy News Radio in the ruins of D.C., and that guy Three Dog. Then like that, he was gone again._

Galaxy News Radio. Ana supposed her fate with the radio station would be far more important than she first let on to believe. In the ruins of D.C.... she would find it, somehow.

Ana peered over the corner of Moriarty's room, and saw that no one was coming, or even suspected a thief in Moriarty's room. She was about to close the terminal, but her curiosity got the best of her. Exiting out of Moriarty's note on her father, she selected Mr. Burke's note, reading it over.

_...he's here to wait for some sort of opportunist to come through. Whatever. As long as he pays for his drinks, he can stay here until that damn bomb explodes in the center of town for all I care._

Typical; Ana expected as much. Once again she backed out of the note, and was redirected to the main screen. At this point, Ana should have just shut off the computer and left, but the back of her brain prodded at her insistently, and Mister Burke's words still bounced around in her head, enticing her curiosity. _Residents_ and _Tabs_ were the other two items on the list, and with nervous fingers, she selected the file on the residents. Several unfamiliar names appeared on the list, and one by one, Ana went through the files. What she found became increasingly disturbing. Indeed, everyone on the list was as Mister Burke had mentioned; guilty people with tainted pasts. As she went through each one, Ana felt herself feel more and more repulsed by the town she stood in. It truly was a "pubescent cesspool".

"Hey, Moriarty," Gob said from behind the bar as heavy boots approached. Ana gasped quietly, and furiously hit the back button several times before folding the keyboard back into place and turning off the unit.

"Eh, stuff it Gob, get back to work," Moriarty replied.

"Don't hit me!" were the last words Ana heard before she rushed out the door and closed it softly behind her, sneaking away.

"_Every man and woman here has a past so vulgar and despicable that none can be considered innocents. Murder, assault, slavery, theft; everyone here has committed some form of injustice, and their lives are of a heinous nature."_

Even though Ana had an immediate distaste for Mister Burke, she knew he was right. The note covered a good number of residents in the town, and none of them were innocent. Some had committed acts more severe than others, but all in the same, they deserved no pity.

Ana crept around to the front of the bar again, making sure no one saw her as she emerged suspiciously from the back. When she re-entered the foul bar, she paused to stare at Mister Burke hard before approaching him with a determined step.

"Have you come to a decision, my dear?"

Ana flexed her fists, then nodded, closing her eyes. "All right, Mister Burke, I'll do it, but only if you can guarantee me that these people pose a danger to your 'interests' or what have you."

"Excellent! I had a feeling about you," Mister Burke said, nodding. A blonde girl sitting just beyond the small corner where Ana and Mister Burke spoke looked over her shoulder at them with a questioning glance, but looked away quickly when she caught a heated glare from Mister Burke. "I assure you, girl, your actions will save many. Who knows what else these devils may attempt. Here's the Fusion Pulse Charge. It needs to be installed inside the bomb. When it's done, meet me at Tenpenny Tower. It's southwest of here, well out of harms way. You can't miss it. Questions?"

Ana took the Fusion Pulse Charge from Mister Burke's hand slowly, looking down upon it uncomfortably. "I agree with you that there are... evil residents here, but they don't account for some of the innocent people. Can I warn them?"

"Absolutely not!" Mister Burke replied sternly, trying to keep his voice low. "The place, the people, they're one in the same! They are merely sacrifices for a nobler future. I assure you, they are worth ten times as much in death as they are in life. You would be doing the Wasteland a favour."

Ana blinked hard, looking between Mister Burke's harsh face and the object she had just taken from him. "It's time for me to go," she said quietly.

"Until we meet again," Mister Burke replied coyly. Ana turned away from him, and approached the bar, sitting down heavily upon the stool.

"Hey, find out anything about your dad?" Gob asked, wiping the table down in front of her, and trying to look inconspicuous as he talked to her. Moriarty had threatened a beating to Gob if he was found talking to customers casually again.

"Yeah, I did, thanks for asking."

"You know, I have a 'mother' back in Underworld. It's a city full of Ghouls in D.C. Spent a good portion of my life there," he reminisced, picking up a Nuka-Cola glass and wiping it with the same rag, "but I haven't been there for over fifteen years. I sure do miss her."

She sighed, leaning heavily on her elbows. As she looked intently upon the counter, she realized there was a bottle of water sitting just in front of her. She looked upon it quietly, her mind's gears turning restlessly in her brain. She looked up to Gob again, and pointed to the bottle. "Is that pure drinking water?"

"Sure is, missy. Straight from the water processing plant's tap."

Ana looked upon it. "How many caps for it?"

"Normally fifteen," Gob said, and Ana's face fell. Where would she get fifteen caps? "But... hey, you know what? Why don't you just swipe it? I'll just say I didn't see where it went. I'll deal with Moriarty. Go on, take it."

"No, Gob," Ana said quietly, ensuring no one else around them would hear them speak, "he'd beat you."

"Nothin' he hasn't done before," Gob replied, waving a hand. Ana felt so incredibly guilty for the man, but he pushed the bottle towards her. "I wouldn't recommend drinking it in here, though. Store it in your Pip-Boy before you leave, no-one'll notice."

Ana gingerly grasped the bottle, and held it under the counter as she scanned it with her Pip-Boy. Once she felt it disappear from her grasp, she smiled kindly at Gob. "Thank you."

"Hey, anything for a pretty lady. Now, scram," he said playfully, "before Colin sees me chattin' you up."

Ana offered him another smile again before she rose from the bar stool and left the saloon. She held her head down, and sighed heavily towards her boots. There were such evil people in the town, but... did the innocent have to suffer for their mistakes? First and foremost, she answered yes. Perhaps there was no avoiding it.

Ana headed down the walkway and around the top of the crater to the main gate. When she made it there, she slipped through the large metal doors quickly, trying to slide them open and shut without causing a huge ruckus. The sun was higher in the sky than when she had first arrived to Megaton, and the heat blared down heavily upon the desert sand. Ana walked from the protection of the inner gate, and looked to her right, where she had last left Micky. He lie in the same position as before, the only movement coming from his hair as it was rustled in the wind.

Ana approached him tentatively again, and knelt down, recalling her Pip-Boy's inventory. The bottle of water reappeared in her hand, and she coaxed Micky to muster his energy and sit upwards. When he did, he lay his head against her knee, and she uncapped the bottle, leading it towards his lips. As soon as the cool water touched his mouth, he moaned, and his weak arms lifted to grasp the bottle. Ana tried to prevent him from getting out of control and spilling the water everywhere, or from drinking too fast. Slowly, Micky lapsed up the entire contents of the bottle, breathing deeply once the last drop touched his tongue. "Thank you," he whispered, "thank you."

Ana re-entered the empty bottle into her Pip-Boy without saying anything. She couldn't say anything.

"They wouldn't let me in after... I stole from Doc Church, so... I've been waiting for someone like... you to come along, and now..."

"I think it's best you repay the town for whatever you might have stolen, and give a sincere apology to Lucas Simms, else you'll dry up out here."

"Yes, maybe... maybe you're right. I'll get the caps... to pay them back..."

Ana left him asleep in the dirt (for there was nothing more she could do) and returned to the town. She started to speak to everyone there that was willing to offer their past. Billy Creel sat at the Brass Lantern, and offered to buy Ana lunch as he described to her his shameful past as a Wastelander, and how he found Maggie after Raiders had killed his parents. Since then, or so he said, the two of them made their living in Megaton, and both looked after the other, keeping each other in check. She knew the story might have been twisted around, but she listened to him intently. Whatever his past, he was redeemed now. He was a changed man.

Ana found Leo Stahl inside the small Brass Lantern, and talked to him about his addiction. He admitted to stealing from his family for years in order to buy Jet, and as soon as she encouraged the truth from him, she could tell he felt immensely guilty. Ana consoled him, and convinced him to tell his family of what he had done. He then asked her to clear out his stash in the Water plant, and get rid of it.

As she walked through the upper reaches of Megaton, she came across Manya. The old woman leaned against the bus that served as her home with her Enclave-loving husband Nathan, and welcomed Ana kindly as she walked by. Manya shared the history of Megaton, from how her father had helped build the town's walls from the abandoned airport so many years before, to the chronicling of the residents of Megaton living there now.

"Jericho... well... let's just say men can change. I hope."

"What do you mean?"

"He used to be a raider out in the wastes, and he's pulled a few stunts here in Megaton, but he's trying. He's really trying to put all that behind him."

A raider. Ana wasn't entirely sure who raiders were, but from the sounds of Billy's story and Jericho's demeanor, she knew they were far from friendly neighbours.

"So, he's the man drinking this 'whiskey' around town?"

"That sounds like him, yes," Manya replied with a kind smile. Now that Ana had a name to a face, she hated the hostile stranger even more. "Don't hold it against him, though. If you were cooped up in a run down town like this, you wouldn't have much else to do to keep yourself entertained besides drinking yourself silly.

"You come on back any time you want to hear more," Manya said kindly, walking off from her home, "If you see my good for nothing husband, send him home!"

The sun was setting, marking Ana's first day in Megaton. She had no idea where she would sleep; Lucas pointed her in the direction of the Common House for the traders, but there wasn't enough room for Ana for the night. The going rate at the saloon was 120 caps (whether you wanted company or not), and even if Ana had the money to stay there, she wouldn't. The sweet smell of that odd sweat bothered her immensely.

As the late night rolled in, everyone retreated to their homes, and the lights began to go out. Ana sat next to Lars, the Wasteland settler, and his Brahmin (a frightening looking red two headed cow), listening to the sounds of his even breathing. He was asleep. She was alone.

Ana was certain she wouldn't be able to fall asleep in a puddle by the clinic. The town was so _dirty_ – Ana was used to the sterile cleanliness of the Vault that the dirty nature of the Wastes was nearly enough to send her reeling. But what bothered her more than the dirtiness was the Fusion Pulse Charge. She turned her palm upward and opened her hand again to look it over, floating through her thoughts. With a heavy sigh, she stood, making sure not to bother Lars from his slumber.

She walked towards the bomb, the moon illuminating her path in the darkness. The only sound around her was the crunching of the dirt beneath her dirtied boots. She came close to the sleeping weapon, and looked over its mechanisms. As before, she noticed that the bomb would never explode on its own, but it was still very dangerous to the people of Megaton. By equipping the Fusion Pulse Charge, it would be simple to rig the bomb to explode. Ana peered it over, and let her hands go to work.

She pulled out a large chip from the back, the one that would control the bomb's explosive mechanisms. Ana's hand reached over slowly, and detached a blue wire off to the side on the panel. There was a high pitched whirring noise that came from somewhere in the bomb, then it slowly died out. The bomb was disarmed.

Ana stood on her tiptoes, and slid the chip safely back inside the dormant bomb. After her first lesson of the Wasteland, she had realized that every person in Megaton did have a tainted past, but they were also recovering for it, trying to put it all behind them. Who knows, if she had grown up outside of the Vault, she might have easily ended up like any of the town's residents. Perhaps she wouldn't have been so lucky as to change her ways, like they were.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Lars breathed behind her, and Ana shut the small access door on the bomb more loudly than she would have liked. Even though she had fixed the bomb so it would never have a chance of exploding again, she felt a feeling of unease as uncertain guilt came to her when Lars caught her red handed. "What are you doing to the bomb?"

"Lars, keep quiet," Ana said, lifting a finger to her lips, "someone'll hear you."

"Fuckin' rights, you're trying to blow us up!" he barked, trying to scramble to his feet, but he was still drunk. Ana left the bomb behind, then stormed up to the inebriated farmer, pushing him back down on his ass in the mud. He "oomphed" and swung his head upwards to look at her. "Get you're lousy hands off me—"

"Lars, Lars!" she whispered hurriedly, trying to get him to listen to her. "I disarmed it, I'm not setting it off."

"Eh?"

"The bomb's not active," she repeated, becoming a little annoyed at the man's denseness, "just—keep it down, or you'll have everyone chase me out with guns blazing."

"How did you turn it off?" Lars asked, trying to keep himself quiet, but his drunk voice carried.

"Look, that's not important. I... here, take this." She shoved the Fusion Pulse Charge in his hands. "Mister Burke tried to get me to blow it up. Give that to Simms in the morning, tell everyone you know. I don't think he's the Wasteland's most endearing neighbour," she finished, motioning her head towards his house. Lars still stared up at her, dumbfounded, with his open palm resting in mid air with the Fusion Pulse Charge sitting comfortably upon it.

"Listen, Lars... you probably won't remember any of this in the morning, but... just forget about me, okay? Don't tell anyone what you saw, forget I was ever here."

"Where are you going?"

"I can't stay here," she argued. It was true, she couldn't. She was no more safer for Megaton than was Mister Burke. Maybe in some small fantasy she'd entertained throughout the day, she could see herself settling down in Megaton, but it was like jamming a puzzle piece from a different set into the picture. She just didn't fit; she was too head strong, too over confident and incorrectly independent. For all the people in Megaton, she'd only be a burden, a dangerous commodity, thinking she was smart enough to play God with their lives, when really, she was clueless. Ana stood, walking away from Lars and towards the gate. "I have to find my dad."


	3. Following in his Footsteps

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_To Cherry Cheesecake: Thanks for the great feedback. I prefer my reviewers to tell me what they think might improve the story, and ultimately my writing. I appreciate it!_

_Just to let you all know, in light of that review, I took some things out of the previous chapter (basically all the computer stuff, just to avoid boring you) and changed the ending (so it wasn't quite as corny)._

Chapter Three: Following in his Footsteps

Ana had traveled an hour west of Megaton, and had spent the night curled up to a water valve overlooking the old Super-Duper Mart. The sun started to hit her eyes again, and she opened them weakly to the sky. Her Pip-Boy deemed it slightly after six in the morning. She had only a few hours of sleep under her belt, but she was sure she would function just fine with that. She knew it would take her a greater portion of the day to find Galaxy News Radio, but five hours of sleep would have to do.

Stretching slightly and feeling the ache in her limbs from lying against the rocky ground over night, Ana sat up, and turned the valve for the water. As a trickle fell, she lapsed up the liquid, washing some over her face. Her nose and brow scrunched together in distaste; she could nearly taste the radiation. Her Geiger counter ticked a bit as she drank, but she knew she had no choice. Recalling the empty water bottle, Ana filled it to the brim with the irradiated water for later.

She stood apprehensively, and began wandering out of the broken gates, circling around. From the map she had of the area (which was a feature of her Pip-Boy from history class) Galaxy News Radio was a pre-war radio station which situated it's HQ in the northern D.C. area. She set a marker on her small computer-generated compass, and headed off over the hill.

Ana knew that the Super-Duper Mart ruins would not be a safe place to cross, so she decided to detour around it. From where she stood, she could just make out the outline of corpses chained to the walls, various body parts chopped off from their origins. It was shocking at first, but it settled in. She was coming to understand how the Wasteland worked, and in order to stay alive, she would have to work on not being surprised by everything she saw.

Ana walked across the cliff, feeling her stomach rumble. She hadn't eaten since Billy Creel bought her that plate of mirelurk cakes at lunch the day before. While pondering where her next meal would come from, a sudden explosion went off in the parking lot below, and Ana ducked low again, looking over the site. Two men in scrap-based armour fought with two Robocons, throwing pulse grenades at the machines. Lasers shot from the robots' extending arms, and the men tried to shoot back. Ana kept low, slinking across the cliff and over looking the battle. From her distance, they surely wouldn't take notice of her.

As Ana neared the end of the cliff, she traveled down the hill, coming close to the river. The battle had finished, and neither side was the victor. A final grenade and laser shot had killed the last of the offenders. Looking over the river, she could not see a shallow part for kilometers. Blowing out a hard breath, Ana came to the conclusion that she would have to swim across.

Ana put her pistol into her Pip-Boy in order to keep the gun powder from getting wet, and slowly made her way into the river. The Geiger counter began to go wild again, and Ana pushed herself hard to get to the other side quickly. She swam with strong strokes, being sure to keep her head above water. There were moments when she was certain she would drown, and she flailed her limbs almost haphazardly until she broke the surface again. Within thirty seconds, she had made it to the other side. _Not bad,_ she thought, _for being my first time swimming._ As she had noted over her first day in the Wasteland, reading and experiencing were two different things.

Ana shook the excess water from her suit, jumping up and down a little to take away the wet. She took her pistol from her Pip-Boy again, and started up the steep slope. To her right, she caught a glimpse of an expansive concrete block, and a Metro station entrance stood closest to her, beckoning her forth.

From what she discerned while looking over D.C. on her map the night prior, direct entrance into the ruins would be impossible. By following suggested routes on her Pip-Boy, she decided that using the train tunnels would be the easiest way to find Galaxy News Radio. Ana surveyed the area closely before she approached the subway's entrance, deeming it clear of hostiles.

The girl paused after a short distance, then ducked behind the short concrete wall to the subway entrance quickly. A woman in intimidating armour stood about a hundred yards away, patrolling the area with a large gun. Ana watched her quietly, and when the woman turned around away from Ana again, she bolted, running to the mouth of the entrance and stumbling down the steps quickly. The iron gate protested as she shoved it open and ran inside. Ana was a determined fighter, and even though she had fairly decent aim, she wasn't about to take her chances with a woman who appeared ten times as frightening and fearless than she. It was best to avoid as many confrontations as she could.

The tunnels were lit by lights, which caught Ana off guard. She was certain she would have had to use her Pip-Boy emergency light to find her way through the underground tunnels. As soon as she was in the door, she used her Pip-Boy to generate a map of the immediate area. From her compass marker, the small machine worked away at possible routes, then offered Ana the most convenient one. She walked forward cautiously, following the directions on the small map.

Ana followed the tunnel to the left, seeing the stairway to the trains completely blocked off by rubble. She wasn't surprised; she had expected this. Her Pip-Boy detailed walking through the doorway to her immediate right, and she followed it with her eyes on the small green screen. As soon as she rounded the corner, a snort drew her attention away from the map, and she looked up to see three over sized creatures sitting on their hind legs and looking at her with beady black eyes.

Ana yelped in surprise. The hideous creatures looked like a cross between some form of swine and a rodent, with horrible red wrinkly skin and sharp pointy teeth. One wailed at her as she stepped back and drew her gun, and all three animals started towards her. As an automatic response, her Pip-Boy generated its information directly into her vision, offering her precise angles and percentage rates of striking various parts of each animal. Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System: Ana's favourite addition to the Pip-Boy series. As the Pip-Boy was biologically attached and fused with her body's system, it reacted with rapid changes in heart rate, blood pressure, or sweat gland activity, activating before her brain could register the threat and stimulate her autonomic nervous system. She got an older version of V.A.T.S., of course, being that her model was older than most in Vault 101, but it bothered her little; the system worked fine, and proved itself as she implanted a bullet into each of the animals' brains quickly before they could take more than two steps towards her.

She stepped over the ugly hairless bodies carefully as she made her way through the doorway. She stood in what looked like an old custodian's office, but she continued on, following the path that her Pip-Boy laid out for her. After winding through more doorways, Ana found a service hallway, which connected between the office and the subway tunnels. Keeping her pistol in hand for comfort, Ana continued on slowly.

After descending two sets of stairs, she walked into a generator room with hesitant steps. The engines whirred loudly, clanking and spouting as they provided energy for a place that no longer required it. A winding staircase stood before Ana, and she approached it, climbing tentatively.

Halfway through her ascent, a chorus of terrifying wails filled the air, and Ana whipped her head around, aiming her gun. She screamed in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand. Four men—or what used to be men—stood behind a chain link fence, their claws held outwards, and their maws open towards the ceiling as they called out in their horrific howls. Lights illuminated their thin and sickly bodies, showing where the skin and hair had fallen off, where the sanity used to be. Ana couldn't help but realize they resembled Gob, save for the fact that they were feral, and no longer seemed to have their wits.

After glaring at Ana with empty eyes and panting mouths, all three ghouls turned from the gate and ran in the opposite direction of her. Ana still held her gun up to the gate, breathing heavily along with her pounding heart. Her V.A.T.S. had turned itself on, but it faded when the targets ran from sight. She hoped she wouldn't have to face anymore of those at any point soon. With fear in her heart, she looked down towards her Pip-Boy. She needed to pass through the gate, she needed to go where those monsters were.

Moaning in desperation, she squeezed her eyes and turned away, hoping that when she looked back at her Pip-Boy, her reality would change. Tough, brave Ana had found herself in her worst imaginable nightmare. The ghouls called out again, and Ana tried to steadied herself. Recalling ammo from her Pip-Boy, she reloaded her gun to be full—twelve rounds—before she headed forward. She approached the gate, and with a steady hand, she pulled the flimsy lock apart, and kicked open the doors.

With careful aim, Ana pelted bullets into the small crowd of zombie like men. Two fell almost instantly, but the others came at her so quickly that Ana had to run backwards as she fired at them. The third fell as it came across the opening of the gates, and the fourth charged her, it's claws held out, ready to swing at her.

Ana screamed as her back connected with a door behind her, shooting more bullets into the ghoul, when her pistol clicked. She looked upon it with horrified eyes, then gasped out a yell and ducked as the ghoul's claw swiped down at her. His hand missed her by inches, and tore through the thin material of the door she was backed up upon. Ana's elbow forcefully struck his back where his kidney would have been, sending him flying through the rest of the door, and she rushed forward, calling ammo from her Pip-Boy again and reloading the gun quickly. As the ghoul cried out with a garbled voice and came after her, Ana crouched low as she spun around, and shot another two bullets into the ghoul. It fell upon the iron cat walk, dead.

Panting slightly, she looked around fearfully at all the dead ghouls, somehow afraid they would still be able to stand and attack her. Calming herself, she holstered her pistol again, and continued through the generator room, consciously stepping over their bodies.

One of the ghouls had attempted to tear through the door opposite her from beyond the gate, as if trying to find an alternate route to find her and kill her. Reaching through the large gash in the door, she unlocked the handle, and continued up the stairs before her. At the top, she pushed open a steel door, and found herself standing in an old abandoned train tunnel of another metro station. The tunnels were partially illuminated by lights that were pitched (by humans, most definitely) that were powered by personal generators. Ana walked cautiously through the tunnel, afraid more ghouls would there waiting to swipe at her with their deathly claws. As she came to a junction, she paused, staring at the wall before her. An old symbol was painted on the wall, and the letters _GNR_ were painted beneath it, with an arrow pointing to the right through the small connecting tunnel.

Ana felt her lips smile, and she chuckled quietly, the feeling of elation propelling her forward. She set into a light jog, following the tunnel southbound. She would be there soon, and she could find her father again, and this horrible nightmare could be put behind the both of them.

As she rounded the slight curve of the tunnel, she stopped dead in her tracks, and ducked low quickly. A looming silhouette of a large man stood at the mouth of the tunnel, peering over the darkness. Ana stayed crouched on the spot, terrified of the looming threat before her. The man (or what she assumed to be a man) must have stood over eight feet tall. Ana might have been good with a gun, but to take on an enemy nearly twice her size was a death wish. Ana cursed to herself silently, and stayed hidden from view behind a pile of rubble, trying to calculate what to do next.

Suddenly, a smaller silhouette lunged at the giant from the side, swiping and shrieking at the same time. Ana looked on in bewilderment as the large man called out in a loud angry growl, and swiped at the ghoul with a nail board. As the giant's attention was drawn to the attacker on his right, a second ghoul jumped onto his back from behind, digging his claws into his flesh and swiping ferociously at him. The giant called out, trying to throw off his attackers, and sent the ghoul on his back flying through the air. A third and fourth one approached as the first was struck to the ground, and one gashed at the man's arm, causing him to cry out angrily. He held his injured limb out lamely, and Ana knew it had been damaged beyond usefulness. She held a hand over her mouth to keep from shouting out as she watched the horror unfold. She could do nothing to help, not without getting herself killed, anyway.

As the over sized man swatted down the last two of his attackers, the ghoul who had been thrown from his back ran up to him again, and slashed him across the back once more, causing the giant to fall hard on his knees and onto his face. He was dead. Ana squeezed her eyes shut, biting her teeth together hard. The ghoul made a noise as it twirled its view in her direction, and she gasped, thinking it had caught sight of her, and she drew her pistol quickly, using the advantage of V.A.T.S. to kill the ghoul from a distance with precision. It landed on the ground as if it had simply been knocked over, and it did not stand again.

Ana approached the scene of the battle quietly, still holding her pistol, and looked over the bodies of the dead quietly. Four ghouls lay in terrifying positions with their jaws agape, and the giant lay on his face. But in the dim light, Ana noticed something disturbing about the man. He was over sized, bald, and his skin was a distinct green.

Leaning down, Ana grunted as she pulled the man over onto his back, and gasped aloud when she saw his face. It was twisted in a sneer of hate even in death, and his lips were torn from his face. He may have been shaped like a man, but he was nowhere near human.

Another cry from a ghoul caught Ana's attention, and her head snapped up, surveying the dark tunnel. She could not see a ghoul approaching, but she could hear it's distinctive footsteps as it pattered towards her quickly. With fear gripping her mind, Ana stood abruptly, and dashed for the escalators. She propelled herself up two steps at a time when she heard more feral screams, and she called out in panic when she was aware of a flurry of ghouls following her up the stairs. As she neared the top, she dodged around the rubble quickly, running up the ramp that led towards the iron gates to the outside. She could hear their footsteps, closer, closer, closer....

She rounded the corner quickly, and put every last bit of energy into her legs as her eyes caught sight of the gates. Another round of cries from the ghouls behind her rang out as her hand clamped down on the gate and wrenched it open. As she made it into the outside, she threw the gate closed again, dropping the lock.

A ghoul flew out from the darkness and slammed against the gate wailing, while another and another collided into it, beating across the iron, trying to swipe at Ana. Another five more pressed themselves together and groped for the young woman, and the iron links began beneath their beatings. Ana walked up the steps quickly, yet apprehensively, and turned to run up the steps when she was sure the gate wouldn't hold much longer.

A quick glance at her Pip-Boy told her that she was close to the GNR studios, and her marker on the compass flashed steadily, indicating her close proximity. Ana turned from the stairs, and started towards the decrepit building to her left. Her Pip-Boy mapped a convenient route through the old ruins, and she followed it intently.

She ran down a dirtied path that dipped down through the building, and as she started to climb the slope again, a gunshot rang out in the open air, catching Ana off guard. She looked to her right from where the sounds came, and saw two more giant men, like the one in the subway, aiming their rifles at her, growling and screaming as they kept firing in her direction. Ana rushed up the rest of the slope and took cover behind a pillar before drawing her pistol.

With careful aim, Ana used the pillar as cover and shot at intervals in between the mutants' lame shots. Even though she was hidden behind reliable cover, they kept firing at her, and although there were two of them, they didn't take shifts firing so that one may reload. They both generally started to reload at the same, and Ana took each opportunity to fire several shots at each of them, drawing shouts of pain from each.

"Move, move move!" someone suddenly shouted from behind her, and Ana glanced over her shoulder to see a blonde woman run up behind her and kneel down, taking shots with a laser rifle. Ana moved away from the woman's line of fire, and ducked automatically as she heard a flurry of lasers shot towards the two mutants beyond. After the firing had stopped, Ana looked up again to see the woman who had rushed in, apparently with a team. Her face was pretty, and her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, but her body was clad in large blue armour, making her appear nearly twice her own size. The woman lowered her rifle and eyed Ana over. "You blew our ambush."

Ana breathed deeply, looking upon the woman quietly for a moment in mere shock. She would have replied with something more sarcastic, but the shock was still fresh in her system. In fact, V.A.T.S. offered a few options of firing at the woman. "Sorry."

"Look," the woman said, standing tall and sighing, "I don't know who you are, but you don't belong here. There are Super Mutants simply crawling all over the D.C. area. In fact, they're trying to take the Galaxy News building right now." Her words were stern and annoyed.

"Galaxy News?" Ana replied, standing and looking back at the woman in surprise, "you're headed to Galaxy News?"

"That was implied. You can tag along if you want, but keep your head down, and try not to do anything stupid."

Ana looked the woman over, then searched the near vicinity, looking at all the similarly clad men and women who had just taken out the "Super Mutants" moments before. "Who are you people?" Ana questioned innocently.

"I'm Sentinel Lyons of the Lyons' Pride." Ana gazed back at her with a look of misunderstanding. "...with the Brotherhood of Steel?" Lyons added, trying to jog Ana's nonexistent memory. When it became apparent that Ana had no clue what she was talking about, she sighed, and continued: "don't worry, we're on your side. At least, I hope so."

"I'm sorry, but who are the Brotherhood of Steel?"

"Jeez, you just climb out of a Vault or something?"

Ana looked down at her clothes, then back at Lyons as an answer. "Oh. Yeah, I guess you did.

"Well, we're a band of highly trained soldiers, and lately our primary goal has been to repel Super Mutant Attacks in the D.C. area. But when civilians stumble into our sights, that gets a bit difficult, doesn't it?"

"Right," Ana replied, nodding to show her understanding of Lyons's annoyance. "I'll keep my head down and out of your way."

"Good. Watch yourself," Lyons said with a nod, and ran off towards the old building's alley.

Ana followed her at a set pace, jogging through the small alleyway created between buildings. Garbage and graffiti littered the walls and ground, and Ana was careful not to trip over the cluttered mess. As they rounded the corner, the sounds of another laser gun reached her ears, and at the far end of the alley she could see another man in hefty blue armour, crouched low and firing off into the distance at an enemy around the corner. On a soiled mattress next to him, another man wearing the same armour lay motionless. He was dead.

Ana hissed quietly in surprise, looking upon the dead man. Throughout her Wasteland trip, Ana had not seen a corpse of a man yet. In fact, she had never seen a dead person before. The sight caught her off guard, and she felt oddly displaced somehow, as if she would never recover from what she saw.

Ana and Lyons approached the man firing his laser gun, and Lyons motioned to Ana from over her shoulder to stay put. Crouching low by a pillar opposite the dead man, she tried desperately not to meet the corpse's eyes.

"What's the situation?" Lyons asked the man crouching over the corner of the wall. As she peeked over the corner, the man before her took another shot, and a garbled voice could be heard as yet another Super Mutant met its maker.

"All clear, Sentinel," the man said, standing. His voice was filtered through a radio in his mask, and he looked toward Ana. He looked like some sort of mass murderer, his mask was so menacing. Suddenly, seeing the entire outfit as a whole, she recognized the large blue armour on each of the soldiers as Power Armour, which was commissioned before the war to the United States army. How in the hell did all these Wastelanders salvage two hundred year old equipment?

"Five Super Mutants released from their torment, the rest are keeping their heads down," the man continued, and two more soldiers approached the small gathering. Ana stood and walked over to them, filling the gap in the small circle.

"Good. Jennings?" Lyons asked, looking towards the man on the mattress. Ana could have answered that question.

"Negative," the soldier opposite her answered, nudging the mattress with his boot. He shook his head solemnly, and sighed.

The man who had been firing at the Super Mutant broke the small silence that had developed between them. "A new recruit?" he asked questioningly, motioning toward Ana.

"Me?" She couldn't fathom how she looked prepared for organized combat with a bunch of highly trained soldiers.

"Just a stray we picked up," Lyons replied, in a seemingly bored tone, "one that blundered into the Uglies over on 42nd."

"Welcome!" he said cheerfully, reaching over and shaking Ana's hand firmly. She tried to tighten her arm to give an honest hand shake, but he ended up tossing it around like a wet noodle before she could respond.

"Alright," Lyons said, rolling her eyes, "it's the usual drill. Kid, you stay close behind me. Reddin, you just do whatever Paladin Vargas says, and _keep your mouth shut_."

"Yes, ma'am," the soldier next to Ana said. All the soldiers began to move, and Ana stepped out of the way for Reddin to follow. They all suddenly broke into a run, and Ana trailed behind them, trying to keep up pace while searching for potential threats. She knew that the soldiers would find any enemies first and alert the rest, but she couldn't help but feel exposed in the open area, with nothing but decrepit plaster to shield her. If only she had some Power Armour, she wouldn't feel as vulnerable....

As they came out of the alley and into what used to be a courtyard, two Super Mutants rushed forth from the building ahead of them, and started firing their rifles into the crowd. A bullet _dinged_ as it bounced off of the first soldier's armour, and everyone began shouting strategies all at once. Ana merely ran forward and ducked behind a pile of rubble, drawing her pistol and aiming at the mutants. She hadn't even squeezed the trigger when the two mutants fell, but a third one from the window above appeared, and pelted bullets to the street below with an assault rifle. "Look out!" Lyons said, pointing to a car that had suddenly set on fire when a spray of bullets struck it. Ana stood from her spot and ran left across the courtyard, away from the ticking time bomb. She jumped as bullets struck the ground beneath her feet, and ducked behind a pillar for cover. As soon as she crouched low, the car exploded, knocking Ana over by the mere force. Everyone was momentarily blinded, but Lyons recovered first, delivering the fatal shot to the last Super mutant.

"Move!" Lyons commanded, and everyone ran together towards the next building. Ana blundered behind them, trying to keep up. "To the left!" "Up above!" "Over there!" everyone shouted as soon as they entered the hallway, and Ana crouched again, running to the hallway's edge. She followed Reddin around the corner, and fired her bullets at a Super Mutant at the end of the hall, destroying its assault riffle. With a flurry of shots from Reddin and the other soldier, the Super Mutant fell easily.

"Around the corner!" Reddin roared, and Ana turned on her heel and peered over the lockers behind her to see another Super Mutant aiming his riffle. With quick, close aim, Ana fired quickly, shooting the mutant in the head. He dropped heavily.

Ana sighed, lowering her weapon. "Good shot, buddy," Reddin said, offering a pat on the shoulder as she stood upwards again. "I'm glad that's over."

"Okay," Lyons said, and everyone turned and gathered by her, "the outpost is just to the south of us. Colvin, you're the eyes. Vargas, Reddin, secure this building."

Ana rushed off behind the woman as they disbanded, following her through the old ruins of the school. "Here," Lyons said quietly, throwing her hand out to stop Ana when they came to a corner. They waited patiently, and a buzz went off in Lyons's ear; someone was communicating with her via radio, but Ana couldn't hear the words.

"And?" Lyons asked, her eyes searching the ground as she listened to the message.

"All right, we'll flush them out down here. You watch from above and fire on my signal. Ready? Go!" she barked, and rushed forward. Ana followed dutifully, keeping her head low like Lyons had instructed as they ran towards the school's exit.

"Concentrate your fire!" Lyons ordered over the sounds of the gun shots. Ana stayed behind her, holding her pistol at the ready. The Galaxy News Radio building towered into the mid day sky, and other soldiers stood along small forts on the side of the building, firing at the Super Mutants who ambushed them. The Lyons' Pride rushed forth, catching the enemy off guard, and within a matter of seconds, each one fell dead. Ana felt relieved and disappointed at once. Somehow, she didn't want to be thrown into a war, but at the same time, she wanted to be apart of it.

Everyone gathered in the middle of the plaza, and Reddin threw her assault rifle over her shoulder nonchalantly as she approached. "So?" she said as she strolled past Lyons with a cocky step, "how'd I do, Vargas? Not bad for a trial run, eh? Come on, Lyons' Pride needs me and you know it! That Citadel guard duty is such bullshit."

Ana laughed shortly. She liked Reddin; apparently a little arrogant, but tough enough to get the job done, at the least.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see—" Vargas replied, and Reddin pointed her gun to the sky, firing off three rounds and laughing menacingly.

"Hey, knock that off, you're wastin' ammo!" Vargas chastised.

"Aagh, come on," Reddin whined, "we just kicked their asses!"

"We need to sweep the area," Vargas replied seriously, "You think those were all the Uglies in D.C.? You take the East side, I'll go West."

"Okay, okay..." Reddin said, obviously disappointed. She was like a child who aced a test, then was told she couldn't have recess because she celebrated too much.

"Once we're inside, _then_ we can celebrate," Vargas added, trying to cheer the woman up.

"Now you're talking!" Reddin cheered, and ran off east, towards a pile of scrapped auto. As Vargas turned to head towards the collapsed Metro station, Ana turned around to find Lyons again. She had walked away slowly and silently, scanning the area from where she stood. They never let their guard down; Ana admired that.

As she neared the woman, there was a loud _bang _and a feral roar. Ana whipped her head around, looking towards the disturbance. A degraded yellow bus that Reddin stood next to jumped slightly and roared again, and Lyons ran up beside Ana.

The bus shook and shifted, and something moved behind it. Suddenly, without warning, the bus exploded, metal sheets and fire flying in every direction haphazardly. Ana shouted and covered her eyes with her arm, ducking low in response. "Take cover!" Lyons screamed, "_a Behemoth!_"

Ana ran to the small stack of sandbags behind her and ducked low, an unwelcome fear gripping her heart. She looked over towards the flames of the old bus, and saw a humongous thirty-foot tall Super Mutant emerge from the fire, a large club made of fire hydrants in his hand; skulls dangled around his neck as a decoration. His lips were perpetually drawn back in a snarl, and he roared again as he lunged forward, swiping at Paladin Vargas. Ana gasped as the man was swept sideways, and went flying through the air, unconscious.

"Hey, kid!" Lyons shouted over the sounds of the new battle, "grab the fat man off the Paladin by the fountain, we'll distract him!"

Ana scanned the square, her eyes landing on an armour-clad body lying across the fountain in the middle. On his back was a giant gun, and mini nukes sat inside the empty fountain. She looked up at the giant Behemoth once more, seeing it roar, and with one last shaky breath, she lunged forward, vaulting herself over the barrier.

The ground shook violently with each step the Behemoth took, and Ana tried desperately to keep her footing. Shouts and roars filled the small square, and Ana kept her hands over her head protectively as she ran. She couldn't bring herself to watch the Behemoth cause destruction across the square. Mostly, she didn't want to look up to see the ugly face of the monster before it squashed her with its giant club.

Ana jumped over a bench, and climbed over the iron lining of the fountain, crouching by the dead Paladin. Using her Pip-Boy, she extracted the giant gun from the body's back, and it materialized over her right shoulder. "Umph," Ana muttered as the weight of the gun rested fully on her lithe frame, and her left hand groped around desperately at the mini nukes scattering the fountain floor. When she got one in her grasp, she loaded it in the rail on the gun next to her head, and tilted the gun backwards, setting the nuke in place.

"What are you waiting for?!" Lyons shrieked far of to Ana's right, "fire it, kid! _Fire!_"

Ana surveyed the gun quickly, trying to gage how to aim with the weapon. When she concluded it had an arched launch mechanism, she tilted the mouth of the fat man towards the sky, aiming to where the Behemoth's feet would be, with V.A.T.S. assisting her. The Knights and Paladins were too close, though, and she couldn't shoot without killing them in the blast.

As the Behemoth swiped at another Paladin and missed, it roared in frustration and turned away, running alone by itself across the plaza. Ana saw her chance, and pulled the lever hastily, feeling the gun pull her backwards as the nuke was propelled from its opening.

"Take cover!" Lyons screamed over the square, and ducked behind the small fort. Everyone's heads disappeared as they hit the ground, prepared for the destruction which was about to happen. Everyone was prepared except Ana.

The nuke arched through the air, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion as it dipped down towards the Behemoth. The last thing Ana saw was the tip of the missile touching the Behemoth's right shoulder, before her world turned left-side up and she was thrown backwards off her feet and onto her side. The loudest noise she had ever heard filled her ears, and the white turned to fire as the explosion progressed. Ana righted herself quickly, re-situating the fat man on her shoulder. Her eyes looked towards the Behemoth, and her heart fell when she saw it still standing. It shook its head like a wild animal, throwing off its stupor, then ran forward again, towards the GNR entrance, where Lyons was crouched.

"Again!" Lyons shouted from afar, "kid, do it again!"

Ana picked up another mini nuke, and clumsily threw it into the rail to load the deadly weapon. "Hurry!" Lyons called after Ana before the club came down on her head and knocked her out.

"Lyons!" Ana shouted as she tipped the fat man backwards, setting the mini nuke in place. Lasers still fired at the Behemoth, but it seemed undisturbed by the small annoying attacks. It turned quickly on its feet as it righted itself from its blow to Lyons, and faced Ana.

In Biology class, Ana could remember the description of the autonomic nervous system. It controlled the fight or flight response, and was completely involuntary in its reaction. When posed with a threat, the autonomic nervous system reacted in order to prepare the organism for action. As the Behemoth's large black eyes glared her down, Ana could almost swear she could feel her pupils dilate, her veins widen, and her brow sweat. As the Behemoth took another step toward her, she saw V.A.T.S. activate, but she hardy noticed as she released a blood curdling scream and pulled the lever again, launching another mini nuke at the monster.

This time, Ana saw the nuke fly with speed towards the Behemoth, but her world did not turn white again. Instead, everything went black as she was pulled into unconsciousness.

She wasn't sure how long she was out, but it couldn't have been long. Ana awoke inside the fountain, and sat up quickly. The fat man had been thrown from her body, and she saw it lying in pieces a few feet to her right. Her eyes didn't linger on the broken weapon long, for the large corpse of the Behemoth lay upon the rubble a few yards in front of her, his club resting in his relaxed grip. Ana stood and shook off her disorientation, and checked for wounds. Her limbs seemed to have minor bruises, but it was the least she expected. She stepped over the iron railing of the fountain, and noticed one of the soldiers sitting on the bench in front of her.

"Paladin Vargas," she said, "is it all clear?"

"Go away," he said shortly, not bothering to look over his shoulder. Ana flinched slightly, but she did not back down. She could feel her angry side boiling to the surface, but before she could retort, Lyons approached them from the side, looking sadly upon Vargas.

"It's not your fault, Vargas. Reddin fought well today; she was made for Lyons Pride and she knew it."

Ana suddenly felt guilty. Reddin... she was standing next to the bus as it exploded; Ana hadn't even realized the woman would be dead.

"Yeah, I know," Vargas replied quietly, his eyes glued to his boots. "Dammit!"

"When we get back to the Citadel, I'll talk to the scribes. _Let it be chronicled that Paladin Reddin passed her test._"

"Yeah, thanks, Lyons." Vargas mumbled. Ana hung her head.

"I guess it's my turn to thank you, stranger," Lyons said to Ana. The young woman lifted her eyes to meet the Sentinel's gaze. "The area is secure now, so you're free to talk to Three Dog if you need to."

Ana nodded, and looked away before replying: "I'm sorry about Reddin."

"She died well. In the end, that's all that really matters."

"I suppose you're right," Ana replied. It was true; if she were to die, she wouldn't have it any other way than for fighting for life, fighting for a cause.

"C'mon," Vargas said, standing and throwing his laser rifle on his back, "let's see if they've got anything to drink in this dump."

Ana approached the GNR building with Vargas and Lyons, looking over the tall structure. She found it amazing that they had fought with such destructive power, but still managed to keep the building safe from harms way.

"_Looks like it's all clear, unlocking all outer doors,_" a voice buzzed from the intercom by the door, and Lyons opened it, holding it open for Vargas, who held it open for Ana.

Darkness shrouded her once more as they stepped into the protective fortitude of the Galaxy News Radio building. Two sand bag forts were piled up beside the door, and a few garbage cans beyond carried fires, warming the dead building and providing some light. Ana looked around the foyer of GNR with awe, looking at the high ceiling and the delicate double staircase which still stood at the front of the room. Makeshift defences were scattered everywhere in the building, and Ana could tell that GNR had a very comforting contract with the Brotherhood of Steel. Through the darkness, she could see a tongue of fire licking the air. When she looked closer, she could see the fire coming from a flame thrower, which was held by another soldier. She stepped forward cautiously, not sure if the man would bog her down with an inferno or not.

"Pleased to meet you," he said through a radio transmitter device. Ana could then make out the shape of his helmet. "I'm Knight Dillon. If there's anything you need here, I'll try and help."

Ana looked up and around again. "What can you tell me about Galaxy News Radio?"

"It's the last free standing radio station in the Capital Wasteland that really tells it like it is. You've got a Pip-Boy, tune in and listen."

"Right," Ana said, looking at her trusty Pip-Boy. She never bothered with the radio mechanism, for she didn't see a purpose in it before. Perhaps it would have helped out earlier in her travels. "I need to speak to Three Dog, where can I find him?"

"He's just upstairs, go right ahead."

"Thanks."

"Just try not to mess with our operations, and everything will be fine," he replied and turned away. It wasn't a threat, it was a neutral statement. Don't mess around, and you won't get your head blown off. Fair enough deal.

Ana climbed the stairs carefully, almost certain they would crumble beneath her feet. Lyons and Vargas walked off to the mess hall, but neither party bid the other farewell. Ana was sure she would cross paths with Lyons and Vargas again, and she knew that they were in no condition to offer manners to a stranger. Ana reached the top of the stairs, and entered the door that had _GNR STUDIOS_ painted across the top.

In the immediate doorway, an empty junked room with a few overturned desks sat in rubble, with one generated lamp off to the side lighting the room. "Hello?" Ana said with uncertainty. She'd been had. An empty room. Goddamn. But why would the Brotherhood of Steel lie to her like that?

She heard feet shuffle from above, and she realized there was a staircase in the far right corner. Ana shook her head, kicking herself mentally. That was an idiot reaction if she ever did have one.

Ana approached the staircase, and she could hear heavy boots from above walking across the flimsy floor boards. Ana began to climb the stairs, and as she neared the top, an eccentric looking man appeared before her. He wore black leather and jeans, with mean looking gloves and a grey toque. His face donned a scraggly looking goatee, but friendly eyes from behind his goggles made his rough exterior wash away.

"The look on your face says it all," he said, and Ana recognized his voice from the faint transmissions of Gob's radio the day before. Ana raised an eyebrow, looking him over and waiting for him to continue. "You're wondering who the heck this guy is and why you should care. Well, prepare to be enlightened."

He folded his arms in front of himself and tilted his head upwards towards the ceiling a bit. "I am Three Dog," he declared. Ana's face didn't change, she just waited for him to finish politely. She already knew he was Three Dog, but she wasn't about to ruin his speech, not when he seemed to be enjoying it so much. "—jockey of disks and teller of truths; lord and master over the finest radio station to grace the Wastes – Galaxy News Radio.

"And you, well... I know who you are. Heard about you leavin' that Vault, travelin' the unknown. Just like dear old Dad, hm? Met him already...."

Ana's reserve seemed to dissolve quickly, and she took another step up the stairs, her wide eyes looking over Three Dog. "You know my father? Is he here? What is he _doing?_" Her last statement may have sounded far too harsh and hostile to be used with a stranger.

"Hey, hey, one thing at a time," Three Dog replied, throwing his hands out in front of him as if to keep Ana at bay. "Nah, your old man ain't here. Not 'nymore. He heard ol' Three Dog on the radio, figured I knew what was what out here in the Capital Wasteland, and he was right. So I filled the old man in, but he split. Looks like I've got my way of contributing to the Good Fight, and he's got his own."

"What do you mean 'Good Fight'?" Ana said, her voice teetering on the brink of anger.

"Imagine a picture, okay?" Three Dog started, holding her hands out in front of him, shaping a square with his thumbs and forefingers, "A picture of the Capital Wasteland, with all that brick and rock; a whole lot of nothing, right? There's people out there trying to just barely make it by from day to day, fighting to stay alive and make something of what they got.

"But then you've got all kinds of shit... Slavers, Super Mutants, Raiders... they all want a slice of the pie, too, and aim to take it by force."

Ana didn't want to bother with chit chat, but she wanted to humor the man, thinking it might help her get the information she wanted out of him more easily. "So, you fight the 'Good Fight' with your voice on GNR."

"Well, holy shit! Aren't you a chip off the ol' block? Hooee! You are as smart as your dad," he replied, slapping his thigh. "Since you know all about this cause, no need to explain the effect. Let's get you all set up and ready to roll."

The words cued in on Ana, and she nodded her head. "All right," Ana stated thickly, "I've played this game before. What do you want me to do to get his whereabouts from you?"

"Hah, you're too sharp, really," Three Dog replied, shaking a finger at her playfully. "Y'know, you got that same look behind your eyes as your dad. Somethin' about him just screamed, 'I'm the one that can get shit done!'... sound like you?"

"For the moment, at least," Ana said, flexing her fists and shaking them, as if to show she was getting prepared to act.

"Good," he said, his tone dropping, "'cause this isn't gonna be easy.

"Galaxy News Radio is my baby; I love it, I feed it, I keep it changed. But there's one problem: no one outside D.C. can hear her cry. You see, some brainless Super Mutant thought it'd be funny to shoot at the shiny round thing on the Washington Monument."

"Ah," Ana said, suppressing a look of fear, "I see where this is going."

"Yep," Three Dog said, resting his hands on his hips, "that shiny round thing was our broadcast relay. Now, it's swiss cheese. Without it, our broadcast range is quite limited. Of course, the factory that made the relay dishes is long gone. Leveled, as in, we're never gonna scavenge that part again."

Ana squeezed her eyes shut, gritting her teeth momentarily before relaxing her face again. "This is starting to sound risky."

"It IS risky," Three Dog said, motioning with his hands, "I would never lie to you. But like I said, there's something about you that I saw in your dad. You may not think it, but I've got a ton of confidence in you, kid."

"Thanks," she said lamely, "so, what do you want me to do? I'm handy with mechanics, but I couldn't possibly build you a relay dish with scraps, that's impossible."

"Of course it is," Three Dog replied with a snort, "no, no. I want to to retrieve a certain dish one of the Brotherhood guys spotted in the D.C. ruins. It's the dish off the old Virgo II Lunar Lander in the old Museum of Technology. I want you to get it and bring it to the Washington Monument to replace the bad one. That's it."

"That's it?" Ana replied, a slight gasp mixed with a laugh escaping her lips. "Oh, sure. You want me to jump through flaming hoops at the same time, too?"

"Hey, I wouldn't be asking if I didn't think you could do it."

"Yeah, sure," Ana replied, and ran her hands through her short hair, feeling the grime of the Wasteland slip past her fingers. She was hoping for a more direct route to finding information on Dad, and although Three Dog was a lot more accommodating than Moriarty, there was no way she would be able to get what she wanted for free. This time, she had no other choice. "All right," she said after a moments pause, a tint of defeat in her voice, "you got yourself a deal."

"He he! I sure do know how to pick 'em!" he cried triumphantly, and Ana glared at him, as if he was mocking her.

Three Dog waved it off, continuing: "you're gonna be the best thing that ever happened to Galaxy News in a long time. If you need anymore info, I'll be here waiting for you."

The DJ turned off, punching the air and hissing in victory. Ana rubbed her dirty face with her hands, and grumbled to herself. How in the world was she going to make her way through a Super Mutant occupied D.C. with her skills? She barely made it through the skirmish with the Brotherhood of Steel and the Super Mutants. Out on her own, how would she survive?

Ana turned on her step, slinking back down the stairs. She had caught on quickly that in the Wastes, no one would help the other without some sort of favour in return. Unlike Moriarty, Ana couldn't steal the information from behind Three Dog's back. Her last hope was that she would somehow stumble across her father's whereabouts as she made her way through the war zone of D.C. before she was killed.


	4. Galaxy News Radio

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_Thanks to Fire Kunai for the comment. I appreciate any sort of criticism or compliment!_

_You guys make me giddy. Being an old member of FanFiction, you'd think I'd be aware of story traffic sooner. HOLY SHIT traffic is higher than a bird! Thanks for tuning in!_

Chapter Four: Galaxy News Radio

After grabbing a quick bite to eat and something to drink, Ana exited the building, feeling the late afternoon air embrace her. It would be dangerous to travel there at such a late hour, but Ana couldn't stop now; her father couldn't possibly have gotten that far ahead of her, and she was determined to find him quickly, or at least get to the Museum of Technology and retrieve the radio relay plate in a quick fashion.

Ana spotted Paladin Colvin strolling across the plaza, and Ana rushed over to him, walking in a brisk pace. He saw her approach, and turned around towards her, greeting her in his kind voice relayed through the mask's voice piece.

"Hello!"

"Hi, Colvin—Paladin Colvin, I mean. I was wondering: how would one get to the Museum of Technology from here?"

"Oh, lord, you're going there?" Great, that really took her worries away. Ana nodded slowly, her eyes subtly becoming wider.

"Here, let me see your Pip-Boy," Colvin said, and used the touch screen to route a plan. "It's a little complicated," Colvin added after he had finished, "but it's safe, and I think that's most important right now."

"Yeah, thanks."

"Hold on, kid," Colvin interrupted before she could walk away through the school and back out to 42nd street again, "All you're taking is a ten millimeter? How many bullets you got?"

Ana looked to her hip where the simple gun sat, then called up her inventory on her Pip-Boy. Fifteen rounds. She had fifteen rounds left. "Not many," she replied shakily. Oh, no. What would she do now?

"Here, kid," Colvin sighed, pulling his laser rifle from his back and placing it in Ana's hands. "There's more where that came from," he added as he placed some Microfusion cells on top of it.

"Paladin Colvin, I—thank you. Thank you so much."

"Well, from what I can see, you'll be doing Galaxy News Radio a favour, so I can at least do you one. Thanks, kid, you're all right."

Ana downloaded the ammo to her Pip-Boy (and using a glitch scheme, she was able to make ammo weightless, so she could carry as much as she wanted) and attached the gun to her utility strap that ran across her back. As she ran back through the school and the alley, the sun started to dip low in the sky, warming her back as she headed towards the Metro station slightly south of the one she had emerged from earlier in the day. She was apprehensive about going back into the tunnels after her horrific episode, but the need to find her father propelled her forward.

Colvin was right; the route he had mapped out for her was long and adventurous, but it was safe. Or at least, safe to Wasteland standards. As Ana traveled through the tunnels of another decrepit train station, she shot and killed a few ghouls before they found her, luckily. Her Pip-Boy directed her through a service tunnel, and Ana found herself in a small cramped, closed off from the upstairs by an electrically powered hatch. Slapping the button, the gates opened.

Ana climbed the stairs slowly, pulling the laser rifle into her hands. There was a pool table in the middle of the room, which was littered with broken pool cues and empty bottles that resembled Jericho's whiskey. Underneath a table by the door her map directed her to go through, she found a round of ten millimeters, and she put them in her Pip-Boy, feeling like an endangered thief. A cigarette slowly smoked away in an ashtray on the pool table. Someone would be nearby.

She left the room, following her small map. A short ways down the hall, Ana found herself in an engine room, where a catwalk winded downwards through a cave to the adjacent train tunnel. With nimble steps, Ana was able to sneak by a group of people huddled in the corner of the expansive cave. There were five of them, and they were all similarly dressed in leather scraps of armour and radical hairstyles. The way they talked and joked about torture and death so casually told Ana without a doubt that _those_ were Raiders. Her opinion of Jericho darkened, despite the fact she knew he was redeeming himself.

As her Pip-Boy told her she was close, Ana began to climb an old set of escalators wearily, holding her laser rifle at the ready. She could hear footsteps from far off, footsteps of heavy boots. More Raiders were in the area. The thought of having to kill another human being in order to survive irked her, and she tried to push the thought from her mind as she climbed.

Ana crouched low as she reached the top of the stairs, and crept across the floor silently, holding her gaze at an angle over her gun as she scanned the area. In the distance, walking over one of the old trains, she saw him; a man with bleached blonde spikes protruding from each side of his skull walked noisily over the train, a small pistol in his hand. Ana approached the railing, and held her gun at the aim towards his back. He was walking away from her, but Ana would wait until he turned around again and got closer before she fired, hoping he wouldn't notice her.

"O-oh, this is gonna be _fun!_" a woman cried far to Ana's left, and the young woman's head snapped around to see another Raider charge her, firing her ten millimeter pistol as she ran. The man walking on the train spun around, and began to fire at Ana as well. Ana dodged backwards, and dove behind an old train map of the station, keeping low and gritting her teeth as she felt the bullets plant themselves into the stone pillar behind her back. Ana counted the shots, and after six rounds from the woman, Ana pivoted on her heel, spinning around and holding her gun at a deadly aim. Without so much as a blink, Ana fired, clipping the woman's face with a laser. The woman stumbled backwards, then fell dead; half of her head was disintegrated.

The man on the train kept firing, and his reloading time was short and quick. Ana wanted to wait until he was out of bullets, but she was certain he would pretend to be out and kill her the moment she stepped forward. Ana cursed herself quietly, but then her eyes fell upon a frag grenade that had rolled from the dead Raider's belt and sat alone upon the cold dead floor. After Ana counted twelve shots from the man, she darted forward, rolling over her shoulder as she gripped the grenade in her hand. Before she righted herself, she plucked the pin from the top, and threw it in an arch towards the Raider.

The man apparently did not see the grenade, for he continued to fire in Ana's direction. She tried to scamper on all fours across the floor, mainly propelling herself forward one kick at a time as she tried to dart away from the spray of his fire. Within seconds, she heard his scream as he was tossed into the air from the force of the grenade's explosion, then the sound of his body smacking against the cement platform beside the train. Ana righted herself on her feet, looking over the edge of her platform to the dying man below. She looked upon him sadly; his legs had been blown off, and he shouted out weakly and tried to grip at his stumps. Ana lifted her gun to shoot at him from a distance, but felt like crying once she pulled her aim away. She could not risk the ammo to put him out of his misery.

After following the winding tunnel with subdued steps, Ana found herself staring up at the gates that would lead to the open mall, right next to the Museum's entrance. Reloading her rifle, she pushed open the gate slowly, wary of any dangers that may lurk above.

Ana climbed the steps up from the subway entrance slowly, holding her rifle before her at the ready. As soon as she was high enough on the steps to survey the immediate area, she found herself looking over the wide expansive ruins of the old D.C. mall. To the north, she could make out the shapes of two Super Mutants by the light of the moon, one supporting a minigun on his body, the other carrying a missile launcher. Ana was certain she did not want to come into contact with those creatures.

Scoping out her chances quickly, Ana placed her rifle on her back again, and made a dash toward the museum's doors. It wasn't thirty feet from the subway entrance, but she did not want to risk being clipped by any bullets of any of the Super Mutants that could have been standing nearer than the minigun or the missile launcher. Her legs threw her up the small flight of stairs, and she whipped the museum door open, darting inside.

When the door closed behind her swiftly, Ana let out a long breath, trying to relax herself. She closed her eyes, feeling her muscles untie their complicated knots and ease her body into rest again. As she opened her eyes, however, she caught sight of another Super Mutant from across the large atrium, weaving through the rubble and the collapsed monuments.

Ana threw a hand over her mouth as she tried to keep herself from gasping aloud, and she tossed herself behind the nearest pillar, checking to see if the creature had caught sight of her. Peering around cautiously, her heart hammered in her chest as she saw the mutant walk towards the front door, a nailboard clasped in its large grimy hands.

Ana grabbed for her laser rifle and held it tightly between her hands, peering over the corner of the pillar, waiting to see if the mutant would come close enough to kill. As it came closer, Ana aimed at the mutant carefully, squeezing her left eye shut. Her finger squeezed the trigger lightly before the mutant stopped, scratching its head.

"Mind play tricks again! What did I come down here for?" it grumbled in a loud voice before turning around and heading towards the back of the atrium again. Ana sighed quietly in relief, and leaned against the pillar. The last thing she wanted to do was kill one Super Mutant to find twenty trailing behind it. Eying the atrium, she spotted another Super Mutant on the second floor, patrolling the stairwell.

Making sure to stay hidden, Ana crept out of sight in the shadows along the walls and behind the pillars, ensuring she was avoiding their eye line. When she wondered how to sneak up the stairs without either of them noticing, she found herself in the far right corner of the atrium next to an exhibit. She looked at the odd little device sitting on the pedestal, then read the inscription next to it.

_This is the RobCo "Stealth Boy" Model 3001 Personal Stealth Device. Developed by Robert Mayflower, the Stealth Boy generates a modulating field that transmits the reflected light from one side of an object to the other making the bearer almost invisible to the untrained eye._

Ana nodded in approval, picking up the dusty artifact. She turned it over in her hands, readily deciding that the thing acted like a wrist watch. The power meter on the front gave a low reading, and Ana knew she had little time to use the nifty item, but she would put it to good use nonetheless. She slipped it onto her wrist, then pressed the _power_ button. She felt nothing, drawing a trace of disappointment. But when she lifted her Pip-Boy to examine her body's status, she noticed the odd chameleon effect on her arm; she could still see herself, but like the inscription said, her body reflected light off of each facet, essentially making her invisible. It would be enough to sneak by the Super Mutants, or at least she hoped so.

Not worrying about the shadows, Ana turned back and ducked across the floor around the fallen plane exhibit. The first Super Mutant she had seen stood opposite from her on the other side, scratching its head and grunting. Keeping her eyes trained on the mutant, she kept low while sidestepping across the floor, periodically checking her arms to ensure her invisibility. When Ana made it to the stairs, she read the list of exhibits on the wall. _Virgo II _was engraved on a plate with an arrow pointing up the stairs. She crept up slowly, stepping lightly as to not attract her foes with the sounds of invisible boot steps.

The Super Mutant dwelling on the upper hall looked down over the railing, and threw a chunk of rubble at the other's head. "Wake up!" the thrower growled in the same rough voice to the mutant who rubbed its head from where the rubble struck it, "keep looking!"

"No one here!" it yelled back, throwing its hands up in defeat as Ana made her way closer to the mutant who chastised the first. She was sure that they would not hear her sneaking by over the sounds of their argument, but she felt her heart rate pick up as she came closer.

"Might be. Could be hiding. Look under plane!"

The mutant below grunted, and turned to look at the plane. "Uh, can't remember, I think I looked under there already."

"Look again!" the other countered. Ana rounded the corner, and headed closer to the other mutant. "Hungry!" it howled.

The other grunted once more before clutching a broken wing with two hands and flipping it over and away, as if it were cardboard. Ana's mouth hung open in a silent gasp; they might have been feeble minded, but the Super Mutants had unparalleled strength. "No one here," the first Super Mutant called back again, a hint of distress in its voice.

"Uh," the second one said as Ana walked behind it, "um... keep looking!"

The Super Mutant stepped back at that note, and its thick leg bumped into Ana and knocked her over. She suppressed a yelp and covered her mouth as she toppled, trying not to make a noise. The Super Mutant grumbled in surprise, and peered behind itself, looking for the thing it had bumped into. Ana peered up at it fearfully, praying that her Stealth Boy had enough juice left in it to keep her invisible until the mutant passed. _Go away, go away,_ she prayed desperately to herself, her hand clutched over her mouth and her eyes bugging wider and wider by the second.

"Er," the mutant said, after it came to the conclusion that 'mind play tricks again', "let's go outside, look for food."

"But Brotherhood outside!" the first mutant called back, and the sound of the plane's remaining wing crumpling reached her ears as the mutant dropped it.

"Bah! Hungry!" the second barked again, and started towards the stairs. "No food here at all," it added with a feral growl.

As they approached the front door together, the first mutant lamented to the next: "I remember this woman, but I not remember name... er, I think I _was_ a woman!"

As the doors closed, Ana released the hand covering her mouth, and gasped out a breath. She looked to her arms again to find that the Stealth Boy was still activated. _Still has a lot of juice, I suppose,_ she thought to herself, and with a sigh of relief, she stood and continued down the walkway.

A pillar of rubble blocked her direct entry to the wing of the museum she wanted to go, but the hall to her left lay open and waiting. Peering down at the end, it appeared as if there was a cave inside. As she continued down the cave like tunnel, she realized that the cave at the end was a reconstruction of a Vault door.

Suddenly, a light illuminated the with a loud _clack_, and Ana hesitated in her step, observing the lighted entrance. It looked exactly like Vault 101's door. Before she could curse aloud in surprise, a voice relayed over the intercom:

_Vault-Tec enterprises welcomes you to our new line of Subterranean Vaults, featuring our patented S.S.S. technology._

Ana walked ahead slowly through the large circular opening, then another light ahead of her snapped on, and the same voice continued.

_S.S.S. technology is Vault-Tec's convergence of the three most important parts of apocalyptic endurance: Safety, Survivability, and Sanitation._

Ana continued on further, and as she walked over the oh so familiar metal door frame to the Vault, the same yellow caution light began to whirl around, and the same alarm that haunted her since the day she fled Vault 101 began to sound again. Ana flinched, looking up at the light. It was part of the decrepit exhibit, but it reminded her of the death and anger that surrounded her nearly two days before.

_Sleep in quiet comfort knowing that our impenetrable Vault doors can withstand a direct hit by an atomic bomb, with only a projected two percent failure rate._

The door before her slid open before she even touched the control panel, and she continued forward, following the old dusty hall. Suddenly, light after light snapped on as she entered the hallway, and Ana nearly jumped.

_Being underground got'cha down? Smile! Our SimuSun lighting mimics the feeling of being outside, with only a fraction of the sunburn potential!_

Ana walked through the halls of the exhibit, trying to keep her head down. Blood and gore were smeared across the walls, suggesting many people had met their doom at the hands of the Super Mutants. A few display rooms lined the sides, and just for fun, Ana listened to the incredibly stark explanation of each room in the Vault and its functions. She laughed at a few, reminisced at others. What bothered her more was the marketing scheme used behind the man's voice; overly bubbly and way too chipper. Were her ancestors convinced to live in a Vault through this sort of advertising?

_Concerned about security? Our Eye-On-You cameras enable the Vault's leader to watch your _every move_. You'll never be alone again!_

Ana made a concerned frown at the intercoms, wondering how the assertion was supposed to promote living in the Vaults, before continuing to the next room. Through the door way was another Vault door room, and Ana climbed down the short steps, crossing the iron walk.

_Should the unlikely event arise that the planet is laid to waste, you'll feel happy knowing your family will be safe in a Vault-Tec vault._

Ana looked over her shoulder at the giant Vault door as she passed through it, shaking her head slightly at the crassness of the entire ordeal. What baffled her more was how people had agreed to the assertions, and actually put themselves willingly into a capitalist-freak show of an iron box. Were people two hundred years ago truly that daft?

The cave-like hall transformed back into the hallways of the museum, and Ana felt a sigh of relief pass her lips, as if a weight was on her shoulders the entire time she crossed through the exhibit.

_We hope you've enjoyed our tour today. If you have further questions, please take a brochure from our helpful Vault-Tec guides!_

"Thanks," Ana said, swiping a brochure off the small decrepit desk in the hallway and tearing it in half before she continued through the hall to the other side of the rubble pillar. When she found her way to the upper hall again, the two Super Mutants from before burst through the front doors, and Ana quickly ran forward, ducking quickly through the door to the west wing.

As the door closed softly behind her, Ana surveyed the room she had just entered. She stood on the second floor of a two tiered room; the ceiling had fallen through at the end of the balcony, closing off half of the entire atrium. Ana listened for other Super Mutants and drew her laser rifle for safety as she made her way through the large doors to her left labeled _Delta IX Exhibit_.

When she opened the doors, a large rocket stood before her, and the staircase wrapped around it for three storeys. RobCo computer terminals lined the railings, their green screens blinking to welcome patrons over to read information about the life size model of the Delta IX. Ana peered upwards towards the ceiling, trying to get a good look of the top, when a heavy boot on weak wood planks came to her ears. Looking to her left, she saw a Super Mutant descend the staircase, its eyes on its feet.

The Stealth Boy still rendered her invisible, but Ana scampered toward the staircase to escape quickly, her footing silent as she traversed down the steps. Her eyes stayed glued to the giant enemy that was not fifteen feet away from her, and watched it as it came to a stop in front of the door she had just entered from. The mutant seemed to look over the large rocket, obviously puzzled by what it saw. It grumbled something incoherent to Ana's ears before it turned back up the staircase. Ana cautiously descended the steps, and at the bottom, she continued through the door across from the _Delta IX_'s base and inscription plate. As she came close to the door way, she spotted another Super Mutant coming towards her, and she hugged the wall to the side, keeping clear of the Mutant's path. When it walked by her, she rushed quietly down the rest of the long hall, and at the end she entered through another door, finding herself in the Virgo II Lunar Lander exhibit room. With a triumphant smile that not even she could see, Ana withdrew her laser rifle and walked forward, looking the old model over.

The old decrepit craft looked to be scaled to actual size, and Ana felt slightly impressed. Any form of technology often got her excited, and she couldn't help but pause and study the mechanics the actual ship might have had. After she forced herself to return to the task at hand, Ana discerned that the communications dish was easy enough to remove; it was simply attached by a flimsy set up and wires. Pulling in strategic spots, Ana worked the dish free, and it fell gently into her arms. It was slightly heavy, but she was sure it would appear less of a hassle when stored in her Pip-Boy. After several agonizing minutes of setting the dish down and trying to successfully scan it into her Pip-Boy, the dish disappeared into green data, and Ana felt its weight distribute throughout her body. Sighing quickly, she stood, and turned back to the door.

"Found you!" a Super Mutant shouted with a manic laugh, and fired its rifle at Ana from the balcony above. Ana ducked her head and whipped around in the direction of the enemy. With one quick glance, she saw it looking at her as it pulled the lever and loaded the rifle before aiming at her again. Ana sprinted forward, sticking her hand in front of her face. The Stealth Boy had worn off.

As she rounded the corner of the hallway, the Super Mutant she had passed there drew its rifle from its back, and took aim at Ana. In reaction, she weaved in a rapid serpentine pattern, avoiding its shots. As she came close, she drew her laser rifle, and threw herself into a baseball slide. As she slid between its giant legs, Ana shot up underneath its chin, and half its head blew off. Ana did not pause to see if her enemy had surely fallen dead, for she scrambled to her feet quickly, and kept running down the hall, fear pushing her legs harder than she thought possible.

She entered the _Delta IX_ room again, and jumped up the stairs two steps at a time. When she came to the top of the stairs, she threw herself backward in her step out of surprise when a hail of bullets splattered against the wall next to her. She crouched down by the railing behind the large computer tower, and another round of semi-automatic bullets tore at the machinery she used for cover. A bullet flew through the old material of the computer, and clipped her upper right arm. Ana cried out in pain, clutching the wound. Bullets continued to fly around her, and she released her arm to cover her head with her good hand.

Suddenly, the bullets stopped, and the Super Mutant screamed with rage. "Gun, work! Gun, _work!_" it cried, and Ana could hear it try to cock the gun over and over. It was jammed. Taking her chance, Ana stood, and with her superior aim she shot the Super Mutant square in the forehead several times.

It yelled, dropping the assault rifle and clutching its face. Ana shot out its knee next, then at its torso. The mutant began to stumble forward blindly towards Ana, and before it reached her to tear her apart with its giant powerful hands, Ana shot it one last time square in the face, and it slowly fell backwards, creating a loud _thud_ when its corpse connected with the floor boards.

Another reign of bullets came down upon Ana, and she looked up towards the higher levels of the stair case to see two Super Mutants approaching her with very slow steps. Ana got to her feet and dashed for the door, tearing it open and running inside. The hallway was long and empty, and Ana ran as fast as she could while she clutched her arm and panted with breaths of fright. Ana found herself in the large west wing atrium with the collapsed ceiling again, and she went straight for the main atrium door, without thinking of the two Super Mutants that still stood inside.

As Ana bolted through the door to the main foyer, she leapt over the railing and went soaring towards the pile of rubble below. She landed hard, and was thrown into a dangerous and clumsy roll. As she righted herself, she clutched her arm desperately again, feeling the blood seep from it. She called out briefly, but two ferocious growls made her look up into the faces of two starving Super Mutants. As they drew their guns to fire at Ana, the doors above burst open, and a string of more Super Mutants ran into the room.

Ana got to her feet and ran with haste towards the Museum's main doors, barely repressing a scream. A few bullets flew past her head, but another clipped her left leg leaving a gash, and she stumbled forward ungracefully, landing hard on her knee. Trying to push aside the pain, she threw herself upward again, knowing that if she paused for even a second, she would die. Her hands found the door handles, and she pushed them open forcefully, returning to the mall. The sun was rising over the horizon, illuminating the large bunker of Super Mutants that spread across the land

Limping as fast as she could, Ana made a sharp left and threw her body forward towards the towering monument in the near distance. It was the first time she laid eyes on it, but she hadn't the time to be admiring. She could hear the howl of Super Mutants as they spotted her running across the land and the bullets as they whizzed past her. Ana's arm and leg screamed at her to stop, but she would not let herself rest, not until she knew she would be safe.

It felt like hours that she ran from the Super Mutants towards the monument. She was sure her luck would run out eventually, and she would no longer be able to dodge their bullets with questionable skill. As she passed a few empty Super Mutant bunkers, Ana dared a glance behind her. Eight Super Mutants were on her trail, each running after her and pausing periodically to shoot at her with their rifles. Ana forced her eyes back on the road ahead; if she lost her footing or her speed even once, she would become their next meal.

Finally, the monument was within view, and Ana screamed out as she limped toward it. "Help!" she shrieked, her good arm clutching at her leg as more blood pumped from the wound. "Please, help!"

Two Paladin Knights turned towards her, and she saw one of them remove his mask to shout back at her. "Get on the ground!" he ordered before pulling his mask down again, and the two of them moved from behind their small defences, miniguns held in their grasp.

As soon as Ana saw the two large guns, she threw herself forward, landing heavily on her chest. Before she even hit the ground, she heard the bullets from their guns spray past her into the flurry of Super Mutants behind her. Odd screams of death sounded from the group, and within seconds, they all hit the torn asphalt, dead.

Ana breathed heavily upon the road, trying to stand up, but she could not. As she tried to regain her breath, she looked up towards the Paladins. The one who had called out to her had removed his mask again and approached her, the light from the sunrise reflecting off his grand armour. Ana weakly laughed to herself as the thought _Knight in shining armour_ crossed her mind, and she passed out.

* * *

Ana opened her eyes again what felt like seconds later, and found herself lying on a mattress stuffed in a corner. She blinked softly, looking around the room without moving her head. Cool air enveloped her, and from the balcony near the front of her vision, the day was still tinted red from the low sun. From where she lie, however, Ana could tell the sun was on the other side of the sky by then. She had slept at least ten hours.

Slowly, she sat up on the mattress, checking her wounds. The bullet from her right arm and been removed and the wound patched, and her leg donned a thin wrap underneath her Vault suit pants. Ana rubbed her neck and stretched, feeling immensely better. Compared to the night before, the mattress felt like heaven to the comfort of the earthen ground.

However, unlike the night before, Ana was starving and thirsty. She looked around the small enclosing briefly, looking for a sign of people or refreshments. When she spotted neither, Ana sighed heavily, scrolling through her Pip-Boy. Reluctantly, she recalled the bottle of dirty water, then drank from it slowly, cringing at the taste. She could almost feel the mutation take place in her genes, but the satiation the liquid provided her dry mouth was far more comforting. After the bottle was drained, she left it by the mattress, then stood.

Walking on her feet seemed not as painful as she first thought; whoever patched her up must have given her a stimpak. As she crossed the small room with open windows, Ana suddenly realized that she was at the top of the Washington Monument. Like a floodgate being opened, her mission and her purpose came back to her quickly, and she rushed around the room, looking for the radio relay.

Ana rounded the tiny corner, and then she saw it: a well crafted relay with several thick wires running along the ground and walls. She approached the panel, and looked outside the window. Several of the wires attached to a radio tower that ran up along the monument, and Ana eyed the thing closely, trying to discern how to install the dish into its dock. After a moment of planning, Ana browsed through her Pip-Boy, and downloaded the communications dish.

She was able to direct the information to materialize on the floor instead of in her hand, and the dish sat pleasantly in front of her, gleaming in the sunset. Bending over with strain, Ana lifted the dish and approached the window. With careful footing, Ana stepped up and onto the window sill, holding on to the wall with a careful hand. With slow movements, Ana unscrewed the bolts to the dish carrier, then slid the stand inside. Being sure not to peer down at the world below, Ana fit the last bolt into place, and screwed it back in the her hand. After a light tug, Ana ensured the plate was secure and stable.

Ana stepped down from the sill quickly and thankfully, and leaned forward on her knees breathing deep. It wracked her nerves to know she stood over five hundred feet from the ground. After she felt calmed, Ana approached the radio control panel, and pushed all four breakers back to _on_. Like magic, the radio tower began to flash its red light again, and the radio relay whirred to life. Ana let out a breath, leaning against the mechanism. She hoped Three Dog would be happy; she was not willing to do that again.

After a moment of cautious consideration, Ana called the elevator after she found no other way back down. The fact that the elevator was two hundred years old bothered her, but she was sure if she were brought up there to rest, that it shouldn't be any danger to travel back down.

After a few seconds of pummeling towards the earth safely, the doors to the elevator slid open for Ana. The main floor was small and cramped, and rubble was scattered everywhere. Ana entered back into the mall, admiring the colours of the sun as it painted everything red.

"Oh, you're finally awake," a man said next to her, and Ana looked to her right. One of the Brotherhood Knights who had helped her earlier in the morning looked up at her from a chair. He had a few scars on his face, and short reddish brown hair sat messily on top of his head. He took a bite of his Brahmin steak, then handed a bite to Ana with gloved hands. Ana took it slowly, thanking him as she did, then devoured it with haste. She had never felt so hungry in her life; she wasn't even aware such pains could exist.

"Thanks for bringing that chain of Uglies with you, by the way," the man added. Ana couldn't tell if he was sarcastic or not. "Must've really riled their shit to get the lot of them after you."

"Yeah," Ana said through a bite of steak. The meat was extremely tough, but it satisfied her hunger. "I walked right into the feeding pen well past meal time."

"Well, I just have to ask," the Knight replied, leaning back and wiping his greasy hand on his armour, "just what the fuck was a Vault dweller doing wandering through a Super Mutant infested D.C. with only a laser rifle to protect herself?"

Ana hesitated, then took the last bite of her steak to stall. Chewing slowly, she nodded along with her jaw to prove she was trying to eat fast. Just as she swallowed the last of her meat, she picked the best words for her answer. "I was getting the relay dish from the Virgo II exhibit in the Museum of Technology," she said quietly, closing her eyes and tilting her head as she felt the steak slide down her throat.

"Well, fuck me sideways," the Knight said, slapping his knee, "you do gotta death wish, dont'cha? Why the hell did you want to do that?"

"Three Dog asked me to," Ana said, glaring the man down. His consistent swearing was getting on her nerves, and his tone made her think he regarded her with distaste and contempt. But as the name "Three Dog" left her mouth, the man's face fell, and he looked back at Ana blankly.

"He sent _you_ to repair the radio relay?" the Knight replied in what seemed like awe. Ana didn't reply, but felt her pride inflate slightly at his display of disbelief. This was shattered quickly, because the man laughed out loud. As he continued, Ana felt herself boil. His laughs were mocking.

"Ohmigod," the man whined as he slapped his leg and snorted. Ana watched him kill himself laughing for a minute, and through her anger, a smile formed on her lips.

"H-hah," the Knight finished, straightening and looking up towards Ana. "What made him think you could get the dish and bring it back?"

"Perhaps because I succeeded."

"What? You didn't have a dish on you when we found you, kid," the Knight replied, taking another bite of his steak and talking through his chews, "you hide it up your sleeve or somethin'?"

"In my Pip-Boy," Ana said bitterly, looking away from the Knight. He was truly starting to annoy her. When she first encountered the Brotherhood, she thought they were good individuals fighting for the Wasteland. Perhaps she had just met the sour end of the patch, but her view of the all mighty and holy Brotherhood of Steel was inevitably changing. "I installed it already."

The Knight looked up from his chair, and shielded his eyes with his hand. Another laugh escaped his lips, but it was different from the first bout. "Well, hot damn," the Knight replied, then looked back at Ana. She steadfastly refused to look back at him. "I guess I owe you an apology."

"I guess you do."

"I'm sorry," the Knight replied without hesitation, "I was always told never to judge a book by its cover, but I never took it seriously enough, I guess. Good work, kid, even if you did put me and Finley in danger."

"I'm sorry about that, too," Ana replied, looking to her feet, "but I did the best I could."

"Better than any of us could've done, I suppose," the Knight said, shifting in his seat, "I would give my left nut rather than go in there, but you did it. All on your own, I might add."

Ana's lips twitched, and she looked back at the Knight. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"And thanks for patching me up," Ana added quickly, "you guys took care of me when you didn't have to. I appreciate it."

"Well, we might all be bastards, but we're not heartless. Besides, we've had that first aid kit for... oh, I dunno... a year maybe, and we've never opened it. We decided it was a finer time than any to test out our med training."

"'Test' your med training?" Ana replied, worry tinting her voice.

"Ha, ha! Hey, don't sweat it, kid, you had no major injuries. You'll be just fine; we're not totally incompetent."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Well," the Knight said, kicking back, "you'd better get back to the studio; you're gonna be hero of the hour over there."

Ana nodded, but didn't move. She kept looking at the gate, out into the open Wasteland. She felt a fear pulling at her, telling her it would haunt her if she went back out there. "You okay, kid?"

"No."

"Hey," the Knight replied, "I know you're probably fresh out of a vault, and that life out here isn't as _peachy_ as it is in there," he motioned out to the land before them before continuing, "but if you can handle a building full of Super Mutants, everything else is cupcakes and rainbows."

"You've never even seen either, have you?" Ana questioned after a pause, looking at him with an amused smile.

"Well, there's ads all around D.C... but no, not actually."

"That's okay," Ana said, "when you put it that way, I haven't either."

"Trust me, kid. You'll do all right. Don't let it get to you."

"Thanks," she said, and started forward. "Maybe I'll see you around some day."

"If you ever stop by the Citadel, drop me a visit."

"Will do," she said, throwing him a smile over her shoulder. She continued on through the gate, and rounded the shabby fence.

"Oh, I'm Winters!" he called, "didn't catch your name!"

There was no reply. "Ah, figures," Winters mumbled to himself, "the good ones always get away too fast."

* * *

It took Ana an hour and a half to make it back to the Galaxy News Radio Garrison, and as she entered the door, Knight Dillon greeted her. "Ah, the hero of the hour," he chimed, making sure to point the flame thrower away from her as she entered, "well done, soldier. You sure got what it takes, let me tell you."

Ana nodded with a grin, then kept heading up the stairs. Colvin met her at the top, nodding to her. She was sure that under his mask he was smiling. "Well done, kiddo. See my rifle did you some good."

"Thanks, Colvin, couldn't have done it without you."

"Don't mention it," he replied. "Hey, if you ever make it to the Citadel, why don't you ask Elder Lyons for Power Armour training? I'm sure he'd love to have you on the team."

"I might do that some day," Ana replied, then took the rifle off her back, handing it towards him.

"Nah, keep it. Didn't you hear me? I said we got plenty of those. You need it more than I do."

Ana laughed. "Can't deny that."

Ana continued on into Three Dog's studio, and she crossed the office slowly, feeling the ache of her wound seeping back into her leg. As she approached the stairs, she recalled a stimpak from her inventory, and injected her leg. The pinch spread through her veins, and she flinched momentarily before the warmth spread to her wound and calmed it. Sighing in relief, she looked up at the top of the stairs to find Three Dog standing there with his arms crossed and his face donning a huge grin.

"Well, alright! The hero of the Wasteland returns!" he cheered triumphantly, slapping Ana on the shoulder as soon as she came near.

"You struck a major blow against tyranny today!" Three Dog exclaimed, "now GNR can be heard clear across the Capital Wasteland again. That'll give Eden and those Muties something to think about."

"Eden?" Ana asked, puzzled.

"Ah, the 'President of the United States'. Haven't listened to him babble on the Enclave station?" Ana shook her head. "Good. Don't.

"Before I get back to my calling," Three Dog continued, "I bet you wanna hear about your dad."

The purpose of her mission hit her like a brick wall again, as if the notion of her father had escaped her completely through all the fighting and running of her day.

"Where did he go?" she asked, probably sounding a little too desperate.

"Whoa, whoa, kid, no need to beg!" Three Dog said, holding his hands up and away from Ana again, as if she would latch on to him. "Didn't think I'd tell ya or something? A promise is a promise, and I will provide.

"When your dad passed through here, he and I talked for a good long time," Three Dog started, and Ana held her arms, listening intently. "He's a real stand up kinda guy. He mentioned some scientific mumbo-jumbo which didn't make sense to me, and mentioned something called 'Project Purity'. He also said something about going to visit a Doctor Li in Rivet City. Then, he left in a hurry."

Ana's ears seemed to perk, and her eyes searched the space in front of her as she thought quickly. "Rivet City?" she questioned.

He peered at her through his shades, then made a face after several seconds. "You've never heard of Rivet City? Wow..." he replied, laughing a little. "Well, a whole bunch of people got together and turned a beached aircraft carrier into a town. Pretty cool, huh?"

Ana touched her chin gingerly, contemplating the idea, then nodded at his rhetorical question. "Interesting...."

"Just follow the river south from here," Three Dog motioned with his hands, "there's no way you can miss it."

"Then that's where I'm headed," Ana replied softly. "Thank you, Three Dog. Goodbye."

"Nah, kid," he said, waving a hand in front of his face, "thank _you_. You have no idea what you've done for me, what you've done for the Wasteland. Maybe you'll start to see the effects when you look for your old man out there. Take care, kid."

Ana smiled at him kindly, and lifted a hand in farewell as she backed down the stairway and headed out the door. Three Dog stood at the top of the stairs, nodding slowly as he watched after her. "Now there goes the Hero of the Wastes.

"Oh, shit!" he cussed, jogging down the steps, "Miss Vault 101, didn't get your name!"

Ana had long left the studio when Three Dog called out after her. "Dammit," he cursed, kicking the overturned desk in the middle of the office. Sighing, he rested his hands on the back of his hips, then shook his head. After a moment, he laughed out loud shortly, then turned to climb the stairs to his studio again to relay the story of the Vault Dweller to the entire Wasteland.


	5. Scientific Pursuits

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_If you haven't already (I wouldn't know why you haven't) check out anything written by Atiaran or Fire Kunai; that stuff's goooood. _

_P.S. I love you guys._

Chapter Five: Scientific Pursuits

"Oh, baby, let me get you something special. How 'bout a Dukov surprise? Hah ha! Never mind, you need a drink! Cherry, need some fucking booze over here!"

Ana looked around the large mansion skeptically, then looked upon the two women that stood behind the man with the odd accent. They both wore revealing sleepwear, which made Ana's eyes bulge uncomfortably for a moment. One woman with dark skin traced circles on her arm as she smiled mischievously at Ana, while the red head stalked off towards the counter of bottles, her fists squeezed tight.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Ana questioned the man before her, trying to avoid the topic of the scantily clad women.

"Eating, drinking, farting and screwing!" he cheered triumphantly with a laugh. "Out here, nobody bothers me. I can do whatever I like to whoever I want.

"And those," Dukov said, turning on his heel and motioning to the two women behind him as the red head approached, "those are my party girls! I'm too much man for just one woman, so I need two, hahah! We rub each other wrong all night long! Why should they bother getting dressed when I'm just going to take it off, I ask, hm?"

"I see," Ana replied, and hooked her hands together, rocking on her heels nervously. She wanted to wait until the coast was clear outside before continuing down along the river, but she wanted nothing more than to leave the uncomfortable Pleasure Palace she had haphazardly wandered into.

"Hey, want some hooch?" Dukov asked, shoving the bottle of clear liquid at her that the red head brought, "I never trust anyone without a drink in their hand. Of course, I never trust anyone who does, either, ha!"

"Thanks," Ana replied, "I suppose...."

Dukov walked towards the girls, strutting oddly as he took a swig of whiskey. Ana tentatively uncapped the bottle in her hand. Bringing it to her lips, she took a large gulp, thinking it was water. As soon as the firey water hit her throat, she spit it back up again, a spray of alcohol flying across the room. The girls laughed at her, and Dukov turned around, cocking an eyebrow.

"Something wrong, sweet cheeks?" he asked, looking Ana over as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Jesus Christ, what _is_ this?" Ana exclaimed, holding up the bottle of alcohol.

"Hahah! It is the blood of God himself: vodka!" Dukov cheered, throwing his arms in the air. "Please, enjoy the nectar of life as it courses through your sweet little veins!"

Ana stuck her tongue out and gagged, capping the bottle again. The girls continued to laugh at her, and Dukov threw an arm around each of their shoulders, smiling crookedly at Ana. Avoiding their eyes, she walked past them across the expansive foyer, and sat herself down on the couch in the middle of the room.

She sat alone for a while, staring at her "vodka". She had been following the river south like Three Dog advised, when a gang of Raiders ambushed her on the highway. Ana ran from them, and a pair of Super Mutants from across the river hailed bullets at her and her pursuers from miniguns. She ran and ran, and when she thought she had cleared all danger, two ferocious mutants stormed her, spitting radioactive tar at her from their long spindly tongues. They looked like they were once human, but they crawled on all fours, and had a torso sticking out from their front two legs, like a mythical centaur. When the Raiders caught up to her ferocious battle with them, Ana escaped along the bank until she came across the only fortified building without boarded doors. The sign outside the door was labeled: _Dukov's Place_.

"Hey sugar, I'm Cherry," the red head started, sitting down next to Ana. The younger woman turned her head, and visibly tried to inch away from the near naked woman. "Do yourself a favour: watch yourself with Dukov. He's all hands."

"Thanks for the advice," Ana chimed, and her only option of escape was to uncap the bottle of vodka and take another drink. With a shaking hand, she brought the bottle to her lips, and took a sip of the detestable liquid. Upon swallowing, Ana decided it wasn't bad in moderation.

"Does he pay you for this?" Ana asked in a strained voice, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand again. She eyed Cherry's clothing – or lack thereof – and looked her questioningly in the eye again.

Cherry scoffed. "Of course. Why else would I stay with the old fart? _Tck_, you don't actually think I love that bastard, do you?"

"That 'bastard'," Ana repeated quietly, taking another swig of vodka and watching him from across the room while he talked to the other girl, "what's the deal with him?"

"He's a lecherous old man. The only reason I put up with him and his 'needs' is because I'm safe here. He tends to shoot first and ask questions later." Cherry eyed Ana up and down. "Don't pull out a weapon near him, he's likely to shoot ya – and he's _really_ good."

"Ah," Ana said, and absentmindedly took another drink. "So you're a whore."

She said it so innocently; in class, a whore was defined as a woman who offered services in exchange for something desired. Ana had never put two and two together and realized that "whore" was extremely derogatory.

"Up yours!" Cherry retorted, and Ana recoiled. "It's not like I've got a whole lot of choice. The only survival skill I've got is the one I'm using here."

"I'm sorry," Ana replied, "I didn't mean to offend you."

"Whatever, kid. So, what are you, Vault meat?"

"Ha!" Ana laughed, taking another gulp of vodka. She was starting to feel woozy, but it was a good feeling, and she kept drinking to fuel it. "I guess thats what you could call me."

"I bet it was a whole lot more comfier down there than it is up here," Cherry replied, looking over the mansion. Naked mannequins and holiday lights decorated the hall, which was probably an attempt to give it a luxurious feeling of statues and chandeliers, but it wasn't luxurious at all. Cherry was partially right; the Vault was comfortable, but damn if it wasn't stuffy.

"I could get you out of here, if it's that bad," Ana said under her breath, watching to make sure Dukov wasn't listening.

Cherry gave her a casual sideways glance, but Ana saw the gleam in her eye. "The only place I'm interested in is Rivet City. Anywhere else, and it's a dead end for me."

"I'm headed towards Rivet City actually," Ana replied, almost eagerly, "it's not out of the way for me or anything. Let's go."

"You know what," Cherry said after a moment, "why don't you just sleep that off, take a breather. We'll leave during the night, after Fantasia and Dukov are asleep. Can't bust out of here if you're drunk."

"Pfft!" Ana retorted, laughing a little, "Drunk! Did the English language change over the last two hundred years, or have you just not learned how to use verbs yet? Drunk, jeez, I'm _drinking_, I'm not _drunk_."

"...right," Cherry responded, then moved off the couch, taking the bottle of vodka out of Ana's hands. "Just lay down a while, I'll come get you when you're sober."

"Wait," Ana said, grabbing for the vodka, but Cherry left her on the couch. After several minutes, Ana passed out, without realizing when or why.

* * *

Suddenly, Ana's fantasy-like dream dissipated as her slumber was torn apart. Her eyes opened feebly and peered up at the blurry face of a woman. "Mom?" Ana whispered, squinting more in hopes she would see the face more clearly.

"Oh, God," the woman replied, "you're still not drunk, are you?"

"Oh, Cherry," Ana grumbled, sitting up slowly, "still haven't learned the proper use of verbs, I see."

"Ugh," the woman sighed under her breath, and helped Ana to her feet. The girl stumbled slightly as she stood upright, and a hand rushed to her head when her world swam.

"What in the world-"

"_Shh!_ Keep your voice down, or you'll wake them!" Cherry scolded, squeezing Ana's arm. She peered over at the shorter woman in the darkness, noticing that she had replaced her sleep wear with a rag laden dress.

"Sorry," Ana whispered, squeezing her eyes shut. Her head hurt, her arms ached, and even the buzzing in her ears seemed to be louder than usual. "Mn... is this what vodka does to you? I don't feel so good...."

"You did have half that bottle," Cherry replied quietly with distaste, leading Ana forward towards the door, "you're probably hung over."

"I'm starting to think the verbs you're using aren't used in their literal sense," Ana replied, shaking her head to throw off the bad feeling. Bad idea. Really, _really_ bad idea.

Ana made a noise like she'd just been punched in the stomach, then lurched forward to the door, tearing it open and puking to the side. She wretched loudly, and Cherry followed quickly behind to close the door. "God, you're not one for stealth, are you?" Cherry said with venom, then looked over the lake.

"Well, maybe we'll make it there by sunrise, if we're lucky," Cherry said, admiring the moon. "Think you can do that, Vault Meat?"

Ana coughed up the last of her puke. "Sure," she said dryly, spitting the last of her waste into the dirt. She stood tall, and breathed deeply. "Let's just not go so fast."

"You're the boss," Cherry said, and started off south. "Unfortunately," she added under her breath.

"I'm never drinking that stuff again," the young woman declared, following into step with the Cherry, who laughed silently.

"You have no idea how many times I've heard that one."

"I'm very serious," Ana replied, rubbing her eyes as they continued through a rubble ridden four way stop on the way to the river, "at the time I started to feel euphoric, but now I just feel like... like—"

"Shit?"

"I suppose that's one way of putting it."

"Hey, do you mind drawing your gun or something?" Cherry requested demandingly, "I'd feel a little safer knowing you're somewhat prepared."

"You have a point," Ana muttered, and drew her laser rifle from her back. They traveled in silence for a while, and once they reached the river, Cherry piped up again, asking Ana to turn on Galaxy News. Without replying, Ana gave her an annoyed sideways glance, but turned the radio on anyway. It would fill their silence with Three Dog, so neither of them had to listen to each other.

_News time children! Okay everyone, I got the skinny on the Capital Wasteland's newest, noblest dignitary! That charming cat from Vault 101. Check this out: got some great news out of the town of Megaton! Turns out the live atomic bomb in the towns center has finally been deep sixed for good._

Cherry cocked an eyebrow at Ana, and she flickered her gaze sideways at Cherry, keeping her face turned towards the path.

_The town's sheriff, one Lucas Simms, claims the one and only Lone Wanderer from Vault 101 disarmed the nasty nuke, and all in secrecy. Hey, nice work, 101. Next time you're in the neighbourhood, pop into the studio; Ol' Three Dog's toaster is on the fritz._

"That was you, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Good job, kid. Guess I underestimated you."

"Thanks."

Ana suddenly stuck out her arm in Cherry's path, pausing in her step. "What?" Cherry asked bitterly, but Ana put a finger to her lips, and turned off the radio, crouching low. Cherry followed the action, and whispered, "what?" forcefully into Ana's ear again.

"Up ahead," Ana said, "I hear someone."

"Shit!" Cherry exclaimed.

"No, don't worry about it," Ana cooed, "we'll sneak by. You just have to follow me when I say, and be _very_ quiet."

Cherry gripped her hair fearfully, and nodded in agreement, her eyes wide with fear. Ana crept across the road, approaching the shingle-assembled fence, motioning to Cherry to follow her slowly. As she approached, she could hear three people laughing and jesting together. From the nature of their conversation, Ana discerned them to be raiders.

"Did you see the look on that guy's face though? He—he was like, 'oh, who the fuck you think you are buddy?' then you could see his face screw up when I pushed the barrel in his nose and blew it off!"

"Hah-ha!"

Ana cringed slightly while watching her footing, peering through the slits in the metal fence. Two men sat on a ruined couch, while a woman sat at their feet facing them, tilting her head back as she poured whiskey down her throat. One of the Raiders wolf-whistled, and the girl threw her head straight again, sputtering as she tried to giggle with a mouth full of alcohol.

"Aw, fuck off!" the woman whined, "you made me spill half that mickey!"

"I guess Rip doesn't swallow," one man said to the next, and the two howled with laughter, roaring with their mouths turned up to the darkened sky.

"Screw you, Molotov!"

The woman launched herself off the ground and tackled the man on the right who had made the comment, play wrestling as she yanked at his dreadhawk and tugged at his armour. They rolled around on the couch, and the second man pushed at the attached couple, his smile thickening and his laughs becoming slurred. Ana came to a stop at the edge of the fence just before the entrance, and peered around cautiously. Her eyes widened and her head tilted back in surprise, then her jaw fell open and her brow furrowed in an expression of disgust.

"What?" Cherry said so quietly, she nearly only mouthed it.

Ana looked to Cherry, and pointed a finger towards the three raiders near the couch. Cherry snuck up quietly by Ana, and peeked over her shoulder, mimicking the same disgusted expression as the younger woman's.

The laughing had died down, and the two wrestling Raiders no longer wrestled; their mouths were connected, and the man was forcefully weaving his hand in between the woman's thighs. The man sitting on the other side of the couch had a hot and bothered look on his face as he detached the woman's armour while she was being kissed, and slid his hand under her breast plate toward her chest.

Ana looked back at Cherry with a horrified expression, then motioned past the main entrance down the road. Cherry nodded back, a sickening expression down turning her lips, and she followed Ana's quick quiet steps as they crept past the occupied trio

After five minutes of silent creeping, Ana stood tall again, looking behind her. The raider's fort was well out of ear shot and well within a safe distance for the two travelers. Ana looked to Cherry, her face conveying sheer terror.

"Is that what happens when you're 'drunk'?" Ana asked.

"Sometimes," Cherry replied slyly, giving a cocky grin.

"I'm truly never drinking again," Ana said, rubbing her hands over her face again.

The two of them continued down their road, and after a distance, a fire could be spotted. "You think it's another raider?" Cherry asked.

"No, I don't think so. He's got the radio on, hear?"

_Got lots goin' down in Post-Apocalyptia these days! Here's some of the latest news:_

_Today's weather: excessively violent with a chance of dismemberment! Tune in later for our five day forecast! Until next time, this is Three Dog – Awoooh! - and you're listening to Galaxy News Radio: We're Here For You._

They passed the scavenger's hut quietly when they heard his loud snores, and they continued on down the road between an old sky scraper and the river. They spent nearly an hour in silence, traversing the quiet Wasteland in the darkness of night. Ana had felt immensely better from the hour and a half prior, but she could still feel the aching tingle in her fingers and feet where the remnants of the alcohol still gripped her with an iron fist.

Suddenly, a reign of fire hailed down upon the two. Ana ducked, looking to her left, to see a Super Mutant standing on the second floor of some open ruins firing at them with a minigun.

"RUN!" Ana screamed to Cherry, and she bolted across the plank of wood set down as a bridge. The bullets chipped at the ground around her feet, and Ana worried for the woman behind her. She wanted to look back, but the danger was too great.

When she cleared the building, Ana did not stop running, but she looked behind her. Her feet started to slap against the ground with dead weight as she looked upon Cherry's body lying on the chipped sidewalk, blood pooling around her.

"_The only reason I put up with his 'needs' is because I'm safe here."_

Ana had failed her, too. How many people did she have to harm before she realized the danger she posed to everyone around her? Ana always had good intentions for her loved ones, but she never seemed to be able to do them any good. First, she let Amata become a murderer, then she risked the lives of everyone in Megaton, and finally she dragged Cherry from her home to her death. Where would she stop? When would it end?

"I'm _hungry!_" the Super Mutant yelled from beyond, and with brimming tears, Ana forced herself forward, running towards the short staircase in the near distance.

Ana climbed the stairs and rounded the corner of the building, landing on her knees. Compared to the Vault, things were harsh and unyielding in the Wastes. But, compared to the Vault, the Wasteland was life and experience. Her life had been so hollow and empty in retrospect, but it came with a price. Now, she watched as people fell apart around her, sucked into the vortex of inevitable doom that threatened them all.

The sun rose and gently stroked Ana's face from between the cracks of buildings and dead trees. Her sad face turned up to the sky, wondering what might have become of Cherry. Ana righted herself again, and continued on her path solemnly. "I'm sorry," she whispered to herself. Her head felt too heavy to lift, so she looked towards her shoes as she continued her journey to Rivet City alone.

After an hour, the sun topped the building that towered over Ana's vision, and she crossed an old plaza southeast, hugging close to the coast and searching for a giant aircraft carrier on the river. It would be soon now; at any moment she would find Rivet City, and for a time she could put her guilt behind her once she found her father.

Once she crossed the plaza, she could see a mean looking fort built on the ruined highway, made from scraps of cargo containers, wooden planks, and barb wire. Of course, as Ana headed down a hill across from the fort, she had no idea what any of these items were, but from the growling and smoke rising from the inside, Ana knew better to stay clear. The sunlight was shining down upon the fort, silhouetting it like a terrifying beast lurking on the land, threatening to swallow anyone whole who dared pass it. With careful and cautious steps, Ana walked a distance from the fort, her head low and her eyes searching the complex frantically. None in the Super Mutant fort seemed to notice her, and she took it as a blessing as she cleared it completely, and headed down the eastern road towards a tall iron structure.

After she was certain she had cleared the danger of the Super Mutants, Ana stood tall again, and headed toward the thing in the distance. She couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the tall sky scrapers and ruined billboards. When Ana passed by the large building on her left, the landscape was displayed to her, leaving Ana in shock. She had finally found the aircraft carrier.

A grand black ship sat on the far banks of the river, its bow broken in two near the middle. The bow of the boat sunk partially into the water, while the stern stood upright, a giant tower standing from the top near its broken edge. Ana merely stared at the boat for several minutes before she realized the iron structure in front of her was the upward ramp to the docking bridge. Taking one good glance over the boat again, she willed her feet forward, and began to climb the structure, her boots clanking against the ramp intrusively.

Once she reached the top, she looked around the ground, feeling at unease. Papers of old magazines and newspapers scattered across the ground, and to her left an old plastic table sat with blood stains decorating the top. Shuddering noticeably, Ana closed her eyes, and approached the edge of the structure, looking out towards the boat. She wasn't sure if anyone stood on the deck across from her or not.

"Hello?" she bellowed, standing on her tip toes and encircling her mouth with her hands to carry her voice further. "Hello!"

There was a static-like buzzing from behind her, and Ana turned her head, looking at the iron pillar that seemed to produce the noise. Slowly, she turned back and circled around the pillar, trying to investigate the buzzing. An intercom was attached to the opposite side, and Ana shook her head at herself, wondering how she didn't see it before. She pressed the call button, then repeated more quietly: "Hello."

"_Welcome to Rivet City,"_ a man replied over the intercom as she released the button, _"please wait while the bridge extends."_

Ana looked up over the intercom, and slowly walked past the pillar towards the edge of the iron structure again. Great gears groaned loudly as the bridge began to swing from a pivot point on the ship towards Ana. She watched the huge bridge make its way towards her, and felt herself nodding along to her thoughts as she admired the two hundred year old technology. Of course, people's work and contribution to its functioning had to be credited, but Ana had always applauded a tool's job before its user's.

As the bridge slowed at locked into place with a shake, Ana stepped down gently, tapping it with her foot to test the strength of the bridge. Once she convinced herself it was safe, Ana began her trek across. A small guilt wormed its way into her mind as she crossed the bridge alone, knowing that Cherry should have been there with her. It took her a long minute to cross the bridge with this thought, but as she came near to the end, a security officer held his gun out at her. "Hold it right there! State your business in Rivet City!"

Ana recoiled slightly, taken aback. The voice on the intercom had been welcoming and accommodating, whereas this security guard was imposing and suspecting. Ana threw her hands up shortly in a sign of peace, then let them fall gently to her sides again. "I'm looking for my father," Ana started, "he was here to see a Doctor Li."

"Doctor Li, eh?" the guard called back, lowering his weapon. "Well then, I guess you'll have to ask Doctor Li for more information. Go on in, then," the guard called, waving his arm in. Ana started towards him slowly, and he motioned towards the doorway to his right. "She's probably in the Science Lab. But keep your nose clean, got it?"

Ana gave him a hard glance, but she didn't reply. The door he had motioned to was tall, thick, and intimidating, but it resembled the door to her sanctuary back in Vault 101. Ana felt like she was returning to normality when she pulled the lever and watched the gears turn in unison, opening the way for her. Directly inside the door was a small room that featured a staircase, which connected all the decks of the carrier. At the back behind the stairway was another door, with a sign painted in black that labeled it _**MIDSHIP DECK**_. Considering it was only eight in the morning, Ana discerned that she had some time to find the Science Lab on her own before she had any hopes of finding anyone awake and working in the area. She approached the door, and worked it the same way as the last.

As Ana entered the hallway, she would have been certain the ship was abandoned by the state of the mess it contained. Old furniture and junk littered the walkway, including old traffic signs, motorcycle parts, and junked tools. At the end of the hall, several signs were posted, pointing arrows in the direction of several different areas of interest. _**MARKET PLACE**_ was listed on the top, with an arrow pointing to the right. She followed the sign to the end of the hall, and entered the market place.

It was a slightly busy area, with several stalls open for business. At the very end, Ana spotted a diner serving food, and her hunger possessed her with an unbelievable strength. However, Ana had no caps, and therefore no possible way to get food. To her immediate left, there was a weapons dealership, and two men looked back at her with weary eyes. Reluctantly, Ana approached them, scrolling through her inventory to recall the ten millimeter.

"Well, this gun is in the best shape I've ever seen," the dealer named Shrapnel marveled, tilting the weapon in his hands and eying Ana up and down in between words.

"It spent two hundred years locked up in a Vault."

"Well, that'll fetch ya a pretty penny," he said with a short laugh, and dug out a surprising amount of caps. "Buy yourself something pretty with it, huh?"

Ana didn't want to part with the gun; somehow, the thing had value, it was a reminder. Amata had killed with that gun. Ana felt like she was showing her lack of respect by pawning the thing for a few meals, but she had no other options, not anymore. With caps in hand, Ana bought herself a meal at Gary's Galley at the end of the market. The food wasn't Vault-Tec grade, but it was better than nothing. She had ordered two Mirelurk cakes and a Nuka-Cola, feeling the food satiate her beyond comparison. However, the Geiger counter on her Pip Boy ticked occasionally as she ate, warning Ana of the risks she took.

After she had finished her meal, she thanked the kind chef, and ordered a cooked Iguana to go. She stored the food in her Pip-Boy, saving it for a later day. Collecting herself, she re-entered the hall she had first arrived in, and headed slowly towards the Science Lab. Part of her had hoped she would find her father there, but the other part knew she would not. When she came to a T-intersection in the hall, she peered down at the door at the end. Clenching her fists apprehensively, she approached the door and entered the lab.

When she first entered the room, she was met by a wall of pipes and vents. It looked like she had entered a maintenance room by mistake, but a set of stairs to her left suggested the lab was yet to be seen by her. She approached the stairs, her feet noisily crossing the iron catwalk, and the expansive room was suddenly revealed to her. A generator and a water tank were in the room, along with other large machinery that Ana could not identify. As she came to the bottom of the stairs and approached the apparent central area of the lab, a table directly in front of her caught her attention. There were oddly shaped objects on it of various size and colour, and Ana moved to pick the red oblong-like sphere. The moment she lifted it and examined it closely, she felt a quiet gasp leave her lips. Could it be possible? Ana remembered seeing pictures of vegetation in the textbooks, but never did she think she would hold and see an apple for herself.

The thing was more beautiful than she could have possibly imagined; it was hard, yet soft to the touch at the same time, and it had just enough shine to it for Ana to see a faint outline of her reflection. This was an apple, this was actual vegetation, this was _life!_ How—

"Look," a woman said from Ana's side, and she almost dropped the apple in surprise. "This is a restricted area. I'm tired of telling you people...."

Ana stared back at the woman, putting down the apple and starting to work her mouth to formulate an apology, but she did not speak. Nor did the woman continue. She was a hard looking person with a mean set of eyes, but it seemed to dissolve as she continued to gaze at Ana. They studied each other's faces for a moment, Ana trying to decide the nature of the woman's intent, while the Doctor tried to will herself to speak.

"I... it's you... Ana. My heavens, you look so much like him..."

Ana's eyes widened, and her mouth parted slightly. "You're James's daughter, aren't you? What are you doing here?"

"You know my father?" Ana said softly, her head overcome with elation, "Have you seen him?"

"Well, yes, of course I do," the woman who Ana deduced to be Doctor Li replied shortly, "Don't you know who I am?" Ana shook her head lightly. "I suppose James never told you. Typical."

Ana's brow furrowed in offence, and she began to formulate a retort when the Doctor continued. "I'm Doctor Madison Li. I worked with your father many years ago. Your mother as well, in fact."

Ana felt nearly as surprised as the day Moriarty told her that she had not been born in the Vault like her father led her to believe. Now, she had found another woman connected to her mysterious past, and she felt the same confusion and excitement fill her as the woman continued.

"You'll have to forgive me; this has all been very stressful, what with your father suddenly showing up here after being gone so long. You have to understand that I—" the woman's voice wavered slightly, "we put all of that behind us. Project Purity, our work... all of it. We've moved on, even if your father hasn't."

"What?" Ana replied, shaking her head. "I don't know anything about that. Is that why my father came here? To resume your 'work'?"

"That was his proposal, yes," Doctor Li said thickly, "he decided that his abandonment of the project was premature, and that our research would still be effective if we continued, but... everything we'd been through, the time, the people... it was all over. I'm not going back to it, and neither should he."

"You mean he went to work on the project alone?" Ana asked, surprise tinging her voice, "where is he?"

"You mean you don't know?" Doctor Li replied with distaste, "I assumed he sent you here. For that matter, aren't you supposed to be in a vault? James said he left you there."

"Not that it's any of your business," Ana started angrily, "but the Vault was no longer fit for my residence. I had to leave. Now, I'll ask again, do you know where my father is?"

"Your father is no longer here," the woman said, seeming to stand taller, although she was still shorter than Ana, "and I'd appreciate it if you didn't use that tone with me."

Ana sighed in defeat, and looked away briefly. "I apologize. Could you please tell me where he's gone?" she asked more politely.

"I tried telling your father that too much time has passed for Project Purity to work, but he insisted on returning to the old lab."

"Yes, you mentioned that. Where is the old lab?" Ana asked, her fear brimming noticeably in her eyes.

"It's in the old Jefferson Memorial Building, northwest of here. But please, _don't_ go after him. It was foolish of him to even think of going there alone."

"I have to go," Ana replied weakly, "he's all I've got left."

Doctor Li averted her eyes from Ana, and looked upon the floor. If Ana didn't know Doctor Li was an apparent hard ass, she would have thought the woman looked sad.

"I know it's been nearly twenty years, but... I'm sorry about your mother. She was... well, she was a good woman, and a very dedicated scientist. Your father loved her very much."

Ana seemed to freeze on the spot, and she felt as if her entire body was sinking into the grate below her feet. She joined Doctor Li, hanging her head towards the ground, staring at her boots. She listened to Doctor Li's words, but they tore at her from the inside.

"It's a shame that she died. She had been very excited to meet you."

"What happened?" Ana asked quietly, not bothering to meet Doctor Li's eyes.

"Complications in childbirth. None of us were expecting it; we weren't as prepared as we could have been. You have to understand, we were struggling with scavenged, derelict equipment. We did everything we could."

"I know," Ana replied, lifting her head, "I know you did everything you could." She felt suddenly better; since finding out that her father had lied to her about her upbringing and the world she lived in, Ana was worried that he had lied to her about her mother as well. Now that the truth was confirmed, she felt she could put that part of her life behind her again.

"Yes, well... I'm sorry it wasn't enough. But please, don't go to the old lab. It's dangerous, and there's no knowing what, or who, is inside."

"Don't you see? That's the very reason why I have to go," Ana said, motioning with her hands passionately, "who's to say my father's in danger? I'm going to do everything_ I_ can to save him, even if it means putting my neck on the line."

Doctor Li searched Ana's firm eyes for a moment. "Good luck finding your father," she stated, and touched the young woman's shoulders affectionately.

"Thank you," Ana replied genuinely, then turned and headed off towards the stairs and back up to the hallway.

Ana kept a steady pace as she ran across the iron bridge, running steadily and evenly towards land. The Jefferson Memorial, according to her map, was a twenty minute jog from Rivet City. In fact, without noticing it, she had passed it on her way to the broken ship. It was a grand building that occupied a small island near the old aircraft carrier, and Ana ran the entire way.

There were large pipes that occupied the building's front entrance, but a large ramp over them offered passage to the other side where another entrance could be found. Drawing her laser rifle, Ana climbed it slowly, scanning the area constantly for threat. When she reached the other side, she found the door that led to the Memorial's gift shop. Shaking her head slightly at the absurdity of a gift shop in a memorial, Ana walked into the building silently, her weapon at the ready.

The building was dark, dusty, and silent. Taking a careful listen, Ana decided the area was free of enemies, and so she turned on the emergency light on her Pip-Boy, illuminating the area around her. Despite the fact she thought the area was clear, Ana kept her gun at her hip, scanning the area slowly for threat.

As she came to a three way in the hall, Ana peered into the gift shop. A turret whirred slowly in a circle, and with a quick gasp and trigger finger, Ana blasted the automatic gun before it even turned toward her. She ducked low, holding her gun in front of her. If the turret was on, her father could have still been there... or someone else.

When no one came to investigate the disruption, Ana continued through the empty space that used to be a science lab. Small experiment stations were set up here and there, and clipboards with lab results attached to them littered the gift shop on every table top. After circling the perimeter, Ana decided to start with the Memorial subbasement. There was a lantern alight by the door, and Ana took it as a sign that someone would be down there. Be it her father or not, Ana had to investigate.

After descending some steps, Ana crossed through an empty room with an opening to a pool one floor below, which was caged off by a chain link fence. Without peering down, Ana continued down the hall to her left. _Beeps_ and _bips_ filled her ears, and Ana cocked her head to the side as she looked at a door way from which the noises came. _Dad?_ she thought, her feet stepping lighter and slower on the walkway. As she approached, she stood in the doorway, looking it over.

"Human! Food!" a Super Mutant growled, and pulled a nailboard from its back. Ana gasped, then fired at the Super Mutant quickly. It shook off the pain of her shots, then charged at her, its board lifted above its head to strike down on her. With one last yelp, Ana shot it in the face, and it fell backwards, headless. Ana sighed relief, then stumbled forward to lean on the nearest surface. After a moment, she opened her eyes to see the surface she was leaning on, and noticed an operating table beneath her hands. Ana backed away, then looked at the rest of the room. It was a small operating room. A stand of tools stood next to the table, with dirty scalpels and empty syringes scattered across it. In the corner of the small room were several monitors stacked on top of each other, all of which still seemed to be active. In the other corner, a small table with a holotape sat, illuminated by yet another lantern. Rushing forward, Ana snatched it, and entered it into her Pip-Boy. With clumsy fingers, she played the recording, and felt her body go weak once she heard her father's voice fill her ears.

"_I am at a loss... my beloved wife is gone, and in her place is my daughter, small and helpless. As much as this place means to me, as much as it meant to Catherine... this is no place for an infant, especially an infant without her mother."_

Ana gripped her Pip-Boy tightly, looking at the screen incredulously. The holotape she listened to was nearly twenty years old. Her father had left his work at the lab after she was born solely for her. "Dammit, Dad," Ana groaned to herself, and lowered her Pip-Boy. She still wasn't exactly certain what Project Purity was for, but whatever it was, it certainly was more important than herself. If the Overseer had been her father, he would have dumped her to the side long ago. _We must not allow paternal feelings to cloud our sentiment._ Then again, Ana was glad her father wasn't such a cold bastard like Amata's.

Ana continued down the hallway and descended another flight of stairs. She found herself standing in a room full of bunk beds and foot lockers. A table stood in the middle, with more lab notes and coffee mugs. At the end of the hall, she read a sign that pointed to her right, labeled _**FLOOD CONTROL**_. Ana jogged down it, then looked both ways when she came to an intersection in the hall. To her right was a simple metal door, and Ana approached it curiously, turning the wheel and opening the locked gears. The door creaked in protest, but the door slid down to reveal a small homey room.

A small bed was in the corner, and an old desk with a broken terminal sat adjacent to it. Ana walked into the room slowly, observing it with close attention. Looking at the small workstation, she noticed four more holotapes, and she rushed forward to grab them all. Installing them one by one into her Pip-Boy, she listened to each message of her father's carefully, listening for his whereabouts.

"_Well, here we are again. Project Purity and me. It's been close to twenty years since my last entry, since I left all of this behind to make a life for my daughter. We spent that time tucked away in Vault 101... It wasn't perfect, but it was safe, and that was all I could have hoped for. Now my daughter is a grown woman; beautiful, intelligent, confident, just like her mother. And as hard as it was to admit it, she doesn't need her daddy anymore..._

"_...Project Purity. God, we wanted to change the world. We really thought the Waters of Life could be a reality. And that is why this is a momentous occasion. Because, even after nineteen years, I still believe it. Project Purity can and will be operational. This is just the beginning..._

"_...I spoke with Doctor Li – Madison – in Rivet City. It went about as well as I expected... that is to say she thinks I'm completely mad... the reality is, I need Madison, and any scientific team she may have assembled. I can't do this myself. Project Purity was bigger than me, it always was. And Catherine... God, I can't let this die. Not again, not like this...."_

Ana looked upon her Pip-Boy with wonder, thinking over her father's messages. From what she discerned, Project Purity was an attempt to make drinkable water by the masses for the masses. She gave a low whistle, and shook her head. How did they plan to make that work?

After listening to the messages, Ana returned to the gift shop. With a quick look around, her eyes landed on the door leading towards the rotunda, and she approached it, entering slowly as before.

A pool of water filled the room, and the rotunda hovered above it, with machines and computers inside surrounding a pillar that was clouded with irradiated water. Ana climbed the stairs to her side, examining the room. Directly in front of her was an Auxiliary Filtration Input, and on top of it were three more holotapes. Ana loaded them into her Pip-Boy again, and listened to them each carefully.

"_...One night, after half a bottle of scotch, I broke into the Overseer's office. It was easy enough to hack his console and gain access to the restricted files. Most of it was garbage... but there was one thing, one name, that stood out amongst all the others. Doctor Braun. I knew of Braun's work of course; he was a celebrity in his day... But it was in Vault 101 that night in the Overseer's office that I first learned of Braun's involvement in Vault-Tec's Sociable Preservation Program, and his work on called G.E.C.K.: Garden of Eden Creation Kit..._

"_...the G.E.C.K. sounded like pure fantasy, even for someone of Braun's capabilities. It was nothing short of a miracle. A module capable of creating life from all lifelessness... not only was this thing a reality, but it was also distributed to several Vaults to be used after an atomic bomb. Vault 101 was sadly not on that list... I found Braun's name on a reservation list for a Vault 112... this man could have easily succeeded where I failed. Does his collective knowledge remain in the halls of that vault? journals, computers, holotapes, maybe even experiments. If I could gain access to just a fraction of Braun's genius, Project Purity could become a reality..._

"_...Vault 112 is well hidden in some sort of garage... but I'll find it. I have to. I'm so close, but that's the story of Project Purity, isn't it? An eternity of almost there's... let's see if Braun has the missing puzzle piece."_

Ana suddenly realized her jaw had been hanging open, and when the tape finished, she closed it quickly. Her father not only was a ground breaking scientist, but he once nearly changed the entire world. That aside, however, he had left into the harshness of the Wastes by himself to find a ruin that would hold no answers for him to save Project Purity. Ana thought of her father as a capable man, but there was little chance he would make it on his own out in the Wasteland against all the harshness that lived there.

_Please be all right, Dad,_ Ana begged to herself, and turned on her heel to dash from the memorial. She had little idea where the garage would be, but from the information her Pip-Boy downloaded from the Overseer's terminal, it knew exactly where Vault 112 was, and it pin pointed the location on her map.

Ana burst through into the early evening air, and headed northwest back up the coast again. Her journey would be long, but she would not stop until she knew her father was safe.

_Note: I realize that it's the supermarkets or what have you that put the wax on the apples to make them shiny, but some natural ones have a little bit of that dull shine to them, unless I'm crazy and I'm the only one who sees this...._


	6. Talon Merc Company

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_And now, let me present: Plot filler #1, improvised by Kimmae!_

Chapter Six: Talon Merc Company

"Ah, you must be that little saint from the vault."

Ana spun on her heel and looked to the small Metro Station embedded between two buildings to her right. A group of four men stood leaning against the station's railing, their weapons slung over their shoulders and their faces painted with terrible grins. Ana glanced between them with a look of confusion and defensiveness. Ana never took crap from anyone, not even when she was at an obvious disadvantage. She crossed her arms, looking the man up and down who had spoken to her. "I have no time for your games," she said bitterly. "State your business and be on your way."

"Pah!" the man keeled over, possessed with laughter. When he calmed himself, he stood upright again, yet he still chuckled. "You're the business," he sputtered through laughs, "we've been looking for you. Someone's put quite a price on your head."

It was darker outside, and Ana was roughly ten feet away from the group, but she could still see the blood hungry smiles on their faces. "You think you could wander around the Wasteland, doing whatever the fuck you wanted, and have no one take notice?"

"Do whatever I want in the Wasteland?" Ana replied, "do I need a passport for the D.C. area now?"

The men's face's faltered, and some of them glanced between each other. What was a passport? "Enough. Time to die, Ana."

Ana's smile faded slightly when she realized that she would likely meet her end. She could barely hold her own in a one sided fight against the Wasteland's enemies, and she knew she had little chance against four men with rifles and shot guns. Acting fast, Ana began to dash to the side as she drew her laser rifle.

She was faster than all four put together, but they were still more able bodied and more powerful than her. As she flew threw the air to dodge behind a pile of ruble, several rounds were shot at her, disturbing the dust and debris. From the shield of the rubble, Ana had a clear shot at running past the next building unseen, and she took her chance.

"You can't get away that easy!" one of the mercenaries shouted, and the four of them rounded the corner, firing their guns at her retreating form. With absolute luck, there was a hollowed out building next to her as the bullets and pellets began to whiz by her, and she dodged into it, running up the rickety stairs. As she propelled herself up the fifth step, she felt something prick her on the back of her leg, and she tripped forward, the stairs slamming the air out of her lungs.

"Dude, the bounty was for her head, not to bring her back alive," one shouted from the building's entrance. Ana groaned and grunted as she tried to climb the steps and continue her escape, but a boot pressed down on her leg, and she called out from the pain of the pressure.

"He said he wanted us to bring her back _for_ her head if possible, Massey," the man who towered over her replied. She felt her world shrinking as she was drawn into unconsciousness, but she fought to stay awake.

"Aw, damn, but that means I have to carry her all the way back," another replied.

"Quit yer bitchin', she can't be more than sixty kilos."

Her eyes closed on her, much to her dismay, and the world seemed to echo as she drifted off. "That better keep her subdued 'til we get back...."

"Holy shit, this bitch is heavy!" was the last thing she heard.

* * *

_You see this?_ her father's voice echoed in her mind, _it was your mother's favourite passage. It's from the Bible: _Revelation twenty-one six: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him who is athirst for the water of the fountain of life, freely_. She always loved that..._

Whenever Ana was scared or at a loss, she found that the dream of her father's voice reading the certain story from the Bible offered her comfort beyond anything she could imagine. If she were conscious, she would be able to feel the smile that softly moulded her lips as she slept.

Sharp cold suddenly stabbed her in the face, and Ana choked and gasped as she was torn from slumber. She shook her head to rid herself of the freezing water that soaked her hair and face, and blinked rapidly to clear her vision. Her hands were tied behind her back, and her feet were shackled to the legs of the chair she sat upon against her will. She finally looked up into the faces of two men standing before her. As her mind began to function again, she felt she had to squint in order to verify her suspicion of one of the men. He was in that familiar dirtied business suit, and his hat and sunglasses still obscured his face, providing his identity. "Burke?" Ana choked weakly, continuing to squint at the man questioningly.

"Good, I wanted you to hear this before your untimely death," Burke answered with rage, unfolding his arms and clenching his fists at his sides. "You believe yourself to be some sort of civil saint, but your actions only cause harm to others. I had to shoot my way through Megaton the night you disarmed that bomb." Ana's heart stung, but she fought to keep the evidence from showing on her face. He glared her down, and Ana could see him shake with rage. "You have no idea what you have _done_ to Mr. Tenpenny's plans!"

"That's too bad," she spluttered, almost faltering. The guilt of Megaton weighed down on her heavier than before, but even in the face of death, she wouldn't back down. Perhaps it was her gift, or perhaps it was about to become her downfall.

"Insolent girl!" the man barked, stepping towards her and slapping her across the face. She called out briefly as his hand stung her cheek, but she made sure not to show any signs of pain. She would not let him win.

"We had a _deal_," he hissed, "I entrusted you with highly secure equipment and information to get the job done, and you went behind my back and betrayed me! I'll have you know that you tried to best the most dangerous man in the Wastes, and I will have you suffer for it!"

"If you were the most dangerous man in the Wastes," Ana said evenly, "you would have been able to detonate the bomb yourself. No one would have stopped you."

"You think you've crossed Mister Burke," he retorted, "but it is Allistair Tenpenny's name you have maimed, and for that, it will cost you dearly."

"'Tenpenny' and 'cost' in the same sentence is quite ironic, isn't it?" Ana replied, chuckling slightly. Burke seemed to fume uncontrollably for a moment before he punched her in the jaw. She slouched back in her chair, and her eyes seemed to flutter closed gently, as if her consciousness wavered dangerously.

"Commander Jabsco," Burke said, straightening and smoothing out his suit jacket, "would you be so kind as to activate the Mister Gutsy, please?"

"Certainly," Jabsco replied, smiling down wickedly at Ana. She couldn't see the gesture, but she could feel the heat of the menacing air that filled the room. Ana kept her breathing deep and even, and she began to squint at the pain that inhabited the left side of her face.

"Y'know," Jabsco said, "I told those kids to kill her on sight, but they brought her back for the hell of it, I suppose. Sorry for any inconvenience."

"None at all," Mister Burke replied lightly, "I had requested them to transport her here alive if possible. I wanted the chance to witness this myself."

"Is she really that big of a pain in the ass?" Jabsco asked. Ana could hear his fingers typing away on a terminal.

"Quite."

"Sometimes I wish I knew a woman that'd give me trouble from time to time," the commander added, laughing at his own statement, "'specially a looker like her."

"I have no interest in such matters." Burke's voice was icy and full of contempt. Ana felt relieved.

"Yeah, you're right. She's a little dirty, ain't she?

"Ah, there we go," Jabsco triumphantly slapped the side of the monitor. "Up an' running. I'll hand the controls over to you, Burke. Have at 'er!"

Ana tried to open her eyes slightly to see Commander Jabsco crossing the open floor to the iron stairway that stood to her right. He wore similar armour to the four men that had ambushed her, but he had a missile launcher strapped to his back and a shabby looking helmet sitting atop his head. As he disappeared from view, Ana looked to her front to see the blurry outline of Mister Burke towering over her and a floating green robot approaching them from behind the sinister foe. It looked like Andy in a way, but she could just make out different implements on his arms, different tools—he was the torture device.

"I don't intend to make your transition to death enjoyable," Burke said, his tongue slithering in his mouth as he spoke to her, "but I intend to make it very entertaining for myself."

Ana drowned her fear and forced out her courage, struggling to keep her face stoic and her disposition rather careless. She knew that her being unresponsive to the torture would only push him further, but she wished to retain any dignity she might have had left.

"You," Mister Burke said with a demanding tone, turning to face the Mister Gutsy behind him, "commence with the buzz saw on her digits. Then, we will see how stolid her reserve remains."

The Gutsy robot stayed floating on the spot in front of Mister Burke, and the man shifted his weight on his feet, then repeated more forcefully: "_commence with the buzz saw on her digits!_"

"Terminating subject," the Mister Gutsy responded, and it's buzz saw activated. Ana's heart began to quicken, but she did not show her anxiety.

"Good," Mister Burke said, and turned toward Ana. "I want to hear you _scream_...."

Ana was set on hiding her fear, but she felt her jaw drop and her eyes pop as blood spattered over her face.

"Eyyyaaaaagh!"

The buzz saw cut off Mister Burke's right arm at the shoulder with one clean swipe, and the man flailed his stump around, screaming in agony and shock. Ana tried to harness her surprise and struggle out of her restraints, but she felt herself gaping uncontrollably at the scene before her. As Mister Burke dropped to the ground, the robot activated the rest of its weapons and began to tear away at the man at her feet.

"No, NO! AAAGGGHYAAAAH!"

Ana shut her eyes and gritted her teeth, yelling through her clenched jaws. The sight of the man being dismembered before her was highly terrifying, and it was enough to shock her back into action. Ana kicked off of the floor, and tilted her chair backwards onto the ground. It hit her arms hard, and it hurt, but the impact did not break them. From her position, she twisted in her seat, and broke off the legs of the chair to which she was tethered.

"Oh, _shit!_" Commander Jabsco yelled, rushing down the iron steps. Ana looked to her right to see the man grasping his helmet with an otherwise amusing look on his face as he rushed forward to help Mister Burke. As she approached, Ana felt the chair behind her back begin to splinter as she twisted it apart, and she felt the heat of the flames as they burst forth from Mister Gutsy's flamethrower.

"EEREAAAGH!"

"Holy fucking hand bells!" Commander Jabsco yelled, "Jesus Christ, Gutsy, off! Off! Desist, disarm, disengage—"

The robot suddenly turned and spread his flames over Commander Jabsco. Ana yelled briefly in unison to Jabsco's screams; Mister Burke's charred body lay silently on the ground, suggesting his death. A few mercenaries yelled in chorus with the screams of Jabsco, trying to rush to his rescue. The chair finally broke from beneath Ana's grip, and she got to her feet quickly, stumbling away from the massacre.

The mercenaries passed her on the stairway, seemingly uninterested in her escape. All drew their rifles and shotguns, pelting bullets into the heavily armoured machinery. Ana didn't look back over her shoulder, but she could hear the screams as the Mister Gutsy took down several of the men.

Whatever it was that saved Ana, she felt grateful, but at the same time puzzled. There should have been no way she survived the encounter, yet the unfathomable _deus ex machina_ came to her rescue. Of course, it was something she only read about in books, but everything else she experienced over the course of three days were things she only hoped to read in books. Despite this, she still felt incredibly shocked and thankful.

A few more mercenaries rushed passed her in the halls as an alarm began to sound, and Ana ducked into the nearest room. It was dark, which made the hallway appear completely lighted, giving her the ability to count the men as they ran past. There were several of them, several that would have killed Ana easily had they found her. When they passed, Ana turned on her Pip-Boy light, and lifted her arm to light the room. She could tell by the weight that still burdened her body that the mercenaries hadn't thought to empty her inventory before strapping her up, but they took her one and only laser rifle, and she was in need of a weapon. Her eyes scanned the room. It looked like a small mess hall. A shotgun with several rounds sat on the dining table. After grabbing them, Ana quietly made her way over to a fridge in the far corner, and moved to open it. A bottle of water and some Brahmin steaks sat on the shelf. Punching commands into her Pip-Boy , she stored them inside her trusty inventory. As she closed the door again, a note pinned to the fridge by a magnet caught her eye. She snatched the note into her hand, and read it.

_Jabsco: The new vocal all-out war mode code for the Mister Gutsy is 'stolid'. I figured no asshole around here is smart enough to have that word in his vocabulary, so it should be safe enough to use._

Ana had to keep from laughing aloud. Snapping back to reality, she dropped the note, rushed from the room, and made her way up the halls from where the mercenaries came.

As she ran into a large open room, two turrets began to fire at her. Keeping her strides quick and nimble, Ana propelled herself across the room quickly, avoiding all the shots from the tricky machines. She rounded the corner, and kept running, trying to map the place quickly and discern where the exit would be.

Ana dashed up a set of stairs, bursting down the hallway. Another merc hopped out of a room, trying to jump into his pants as she passed. "Hey!" the man called after her, "don't let her get away!"

Ana didn't look back, but a grenade entered her vision, falling over her shoulder and into her path. Throwing herself into a baseball slide again, she swept up the grenade, and as she righted herself, she chucked it back over her shoulder.

"Fuck!" the thrower yelled, and Ana covered her head and fought to keep her balance as the grenade exploded, sending powerful vibrations throughout the hall. Ana sprinted up another set of steps, and winded through a short hallway to another expansive room.

Another set of turrets pointed at her as she entered, and shot at her from behind the small weapons bunker. Ana ducked, tumbling to the floor. A few feet in front of her was a computer terminal, a green indicator flashing patiently at her. Crawling over to the computer, Ana carefully tried to break the password, but the turrets kept firing, forcing her to duck down again. Finally, in a fit of frustration, Ana grasped the sides of the computer, and slid it sideways across the bunker. The turrets fired at the computer, and Ana shouted, ducking out of the way. She lifted her head carefully again, but the turrets did not continue. They disabled their own mechanisms by destroying the terminal.

Ana rushed onward, exiting the mini bunker and running across the cat walk. Halfway across the iron grid, a merc stepped out from behind the doorway above her, and fired a missile in her direction. With only a second to react, Ana threw herself forward into a dive as the missile exploded on the catwalk behind her. Ana felt small pieces of shrapnel scrape her leg, and she called out above the giant explosion as she landed on the foot of the steps before her. Ana started to get to her feet to keep running, but she felt the ground beneath her legs give way and fall, leaving her lower body dangling over the edge. Ana could hear the merc loading another missile into his deadly weapon, and she grasped onto the step in front of her, tearing herself upwards. With weak legs, Ana limped up the rest of the steps as they began to crumble, and charged the merc head on. As he closed the chamber of the launcher, she was but four feet away from him; too close a range for him to fire at her and survive. The mercenary growled just before Ana let out a ferocious cry and knocked the missile launcher from his shoulder, punching him in the face. He stumbled backwards, holding onto his nose where she had struck him. Taking the momentary advantage, Ana recalled the shotgun she had taken from the dining hall table, and loaded a cartridge of ammo quickly, taking aim at her attacker. As he straightened and glared back at Ana, she saw his face fall momentarily before she unloaded a shell into his torso, making him stumble onto his back. His legs twitched and moved inch by inch, and he groaned loudly in pain. Without so much as a lingering glance at him, Ana ran off through the doorway that he had fortified, finding herself in a sewer tunnel. As Ana rushed into the room, a man turned toward her, an assault rifle aimed in between her eyes. "Don't move," he said quietly, "and I won't blow your head off."

Ana did not move, but her face shifted more toward angry as the seconds increased. "Well?" she demanded, "someone has to do something."

"I don't know how you got through twenty mercs," the man growled, "but you're not gonna get through me."

"You would have shot me by now," Ana stated.

"That's a good idea," the merc said with an evil grin, and pulled the trigger.

Ana reluctantly flinched, gritting her teeth. Her eyes squeezed themselves shut, but once she heard the audible _click_ of the gun, her eyes flew open wider, staring at her unbelievable luck.

The merc tilted his gun, looking at it accusingly. The magazine hadn't loaded properly, and hung awkwardly from the gun.

"Fuck!" he slapped his hand against the magazine, but he was too late. Ana's hand came from under the gun and flipped it upwards out of his grip. The merc called out, then pulled his fist back to pummel her in the face. With a swift kick, Ana struck the mercenary's shin, and he bent over, grunting. While he was hunched over his injured leg, Ana brought her knee up, clipping him in the nose.

The merc yelled and growled in frustration and pain, and Ana kept running through the short tunnel, looking for the exit. A few bullets from the merc's assault rifle clipped the wall behind her as she rounded the corner. She could hear the heavy footsteps of the man as he ran after her, but as she weaved around another bend, a ladder came into her view. Knowing she wouldn't be able to climb to the top in time to avoid the bullet storm of the merc, she turned on her heel, drawing her shotgun from her back.

The mercenary came around the corner quickly, and shouted out in surprise, throwing himself off his step as he came face to face with the barrel of Ana's gun. Ana did not fire, but she waited to grant the man mercy. When he lifted his gun to fire at her, Ana's Pip-Boy activated V.A.T.S. via her reflex arc, and she nearly felt time slow as data showing optimal striking points appeared in her eyes. With a ninety-eight percent chance of a fatal blow, Ana fired her shotgun into the merc's face, and she squeezed her eyes shut as blood splattered over her face and chest.

After the body hit the ground, Ana didn't open her eyes or lower her shotgun. She stood frozen, her chest rising and falling heavily. Her footing shifted, and she leaned against the wall beside the ladder, breathing heavily. She steadfastly refused to open her eyes, afraid to see the body on the ground, afraid to see her real self lying there. She shouldn't have survived. How did she survive? How _did_ she get passed twenty mercs nearly unscathed?

There was a shout from deep inside the fort, and Ana was forced into action. She fled up the ladder quickly, her hands and feet propelling her quickly up the rungs. When she reached the top, she pushed open the hatch quickly, and climbed into the open. After straightening, Ana found herself in a tent. From the opening, Ana could see it situated in the middle of a shallow valley. It was night, and no one was around, but the sounds of a battle raged over the top of the slope. Recognizing her advantage, Ana ran from the tent and towards the battle. If the mercenaries were to follow her, they would expect her to have fled in the opposite direction, not into the midst of a fight.

As Ana reached the top of the hill, she ran in between several ruined buildings towards the front gates. Two mercs stood atop the second floor of a building that no longer had walls, and were shooting missiles down the slope towards the apparent battle. Ana snuck up behind them, making sure not to attract their attention. Through a torn and decrepit window below the two mercs, Ana watched the raging battle down the slight slope. A group of Knights and Paladins battled with the Talon Company, some hand to hand, some with vicious and deadly guns. Ana watched with an uncertain horror as a Knight blasted a mercenary with a long tongue of fire from his flamethrower, and the victim flailed about in the dirt, his fire illuminating the dark night.

Ana tried to avoid the gruesome sight of the battle, and scoped out her chances of escape. Checking her Pip-Boy, she observed the map, trying to find out where she was. From her location, she was but a mile from Vault 112. Ana wanted to laugh triumphantly; the mercenaries had taken her several miles closer to her destination. From where she stood, she would find the Vault a short distance to the south. After another moment of planning, Ana left from the shambled building towards the open fence to the immediate left. Hugging the chain link fence while crouching low, Ana snuck away from the sight of the fight. She kept her eyes intently glued to the men with the missile launchers, ensuring they did not see her. The scrimmage still raged as she found her way to the end of the fence and crept her way south, far from the sights or reaches of the mercenaries or the Brotherhood. When the shouts and gunshots became but echoes over the valley, Ana straightened and ran as hard as she could.

Several minutes passed, and once she could barely hear the battle, she collapsed to her hands and knees, breathing deeply. Ana simply leaned heavily on her hands with her eyes closed. She then straightened and recalled the bottle of water, taking a sip. After the water splashed down her throat, she spilled some of it over her face, scrubbing madly to rid herself of the dirt and blood. From the water that spilled from her face, she rubbed her chest, trying to wash out the mess. Some of it seemed to disappear, but a distinct stain stayed behind on her clothes as a permanent reminder of where she had been and what she had done. After the water was gone, Ana simply sat on her knees for a moment, trying to compound everything that had happened. Burke had come for her with several armed men, and somehow she survived. She didn't know where Allistair Tenpenny lived, but she decided to put it behind her. If Mister Burke and his mercs were dead, then she would be safe. Her thoughts came across her father again, and she remembered the purpose of her mission. Ana left the empty bottle on the ground, and continued at a light jog towards the south, following the compass on her Pip-Boy. Within minutes, she could see a lone building standing by itself on the horizon.

With excited movements, Ana circled the garage when she approached it, and held up her Pip-Boy's light to the sign on the rocket. _Smith Casey's Garage _was displayed in an arcing sign across the tall structure. Looking around quickly for an entrance, she found the shadows of the door, and nearly rushed to open it. The prospect of finding her father at last thrilled her, and she rushed into the stench of the dark and cold room.

Her Pip-Boy light seemed dim, and lit only a portion of the room she stood in. Scanning the room with her arm, the light illuminated the various piles of filth and junk across the floor, causing the smell. From over the counter, she could see blood stains on the back wall. With a second scan, she saw a doorway to her right, and she rushed towards it.

She found herself in the actual garage of Smith Casey's, with a scrapped and ruined car resting in the corner on broken hydraulic pumps. A few gun cabinets lined the back with a stack of tires, and in the far left corner was a shelf. Beside it on the ground was a hatch that was forced open, the corners visibly bent where it had been wrenched apart. With quick and careful steps, Ana approached the hatch and climbed down the steps, keeping the light ahead of her. The basement seemed clean—too clean—as if no one had been down in the tunnel since the war. There was no garbage or stains lining the walls, no evidence that people had pillaged the place. Ana didn't even bother reaching for her gun as she weaved through the hall. As she found herself approaching the end, she caught sight of an open doorway. Remembering the Super Mutant that lingered behind the last doorway in the memorial, Ana pressed her back to the wall and shimmied towards it cautiously, drawing her shotgun. With a quick turn, Ana held her gun level through the doorway, aiming at air. She let her gun fall slightly as she laid eyes on the door to Vault 112.

Ana was surprised; the door looked as if it had never been opened. In addition, the entrance was cleaner and smoother than Vault 101's. There was no cave, no shack door; there was simply an iron grid hallway leading to the thick door of the vault. Ana placed her shotgun onto her back again, and approached the control pad to the pod that would open the door. Expecting to have to hack the system, she was surprised when she simply pressed the activation button and the alarm sounded. The familiar yellow caution light began to spin, accompanying the wail of the siren. Ana stepped to the side, standing in front of the huge circular door. She could almost hear the gears of the control pod as it swung down from the ceiling on the other side to open it. Ana looked upon the door with hard eyes as half a smile formed on her face. The Vault door was pulled backwards several feet by the pod, then rolled to the side after it cleared the slot of the door. With deliberate steps, she walked forward, entering Vault 112.

The Vault itself was also unbelievably clean, as if no one had actually been living there over the two hundred years of its existence. She looked around curiously, waiting for security personnel to burst forth from the doors and ambush her. In a way, she felt like she was back home, and she was expecting Chief Hannon and Officer Mack to leap out at her, brandishing their batons. But the truth was that she was not home, and Officer Mack was dead at the hand of Amata, and Ana could have prevented it. She could have prevented everything that happened. Pushing her horrible memories aside, she continued curiously through the vault, entering the door that resided to the left of the vault's entrance; a different layout plan from Vault 101. A long hall was revealed from behind the door, and Ana walked through it with a wary mind. As she reached the end, she opened the next door, and jumped back slightly in surprise as she found a Robobrain standing to her immediate right.

"_Welcome to Vault 112, resident!_" it proclaimed in a cheerfully synthetic voice, "_according to sensors, you have arrived 202.3 years behind schedule. Please redress in your Vault-Tec issued Vault suit before proceeding. If you have misplaced your suit, I am authorized to distirbute a new one._"

Ana simply stared back at the robot, caught off guard from the unexpected encounter. "Um, please," Ana asked, holding out her hands as the robot opened its front hatch and handed her a suit from a small stack.

"_Once dressed, please proceed down the stairs to the main floor so that you may enter your assigned Tranquility Lounger._"

"Tranquility Lounger?" Ana asked, but the robot's gears _whirred_ as it began to turn from her and depart in the opposite direction. Looking around, Ana decided that there was no one around to see her change. Sighing with relief, she undid the buttons and zippers to her suit, peeling it off her skin. It had become so filthy and grimy that she could feel the fresh air cling to her pleasurably as the clothing left her. Kicking off her boots, she stepped out of the suit, leaving it on the floor. Considering its foul state, Ana never wanted to see the suit again. Fanning out the suit she had just received, Ana stepped into it, pulling it all the way up her form. The clothes were unbelievably fresh and crisp; never-been-worn cotton. That is, two hundred year old never-been-worn cotton.

Ana slipped her boots back on again, then continued through the door on her right. A set of stairs led downwards into the vault, and Ana descended them carefully. As she came to the bottom and re-entered the hallway, she turned right and continued down the hall. SimuSun lights illuminated the hallway, reminding her of both her time in Vault 101 and the Museum of Technology. Pushing off the unwanted memories, she came to a stop in front of another set of stairs down and a door to her left. Smacking the button inappreciatively, Ana entered the door to her left, and walked onto a second storey balcony overlooking a large room. She felt her face twist with wonder and suspicion as she looked down upon the lower floor.

Eleven car-sized pods sat in a circle around some sort of tower, which Ana discerned to be a Super Computer. Robobrains traveled around on the first and second floor, but there were no people to be found. With a startling realization, she found that the people were inside the pods.

"_Please proceed to the next available Tranquility Pod. Please enjoy your stay,_" another Robobrain said from behind her. Ana jumped slightly and looked over her shoulder at the robot.

"I'm looking for someone," Ana started in futile, "has anyone else from the outside been here? Can you please help?"

The Robobrain spun away from Ana and continued down the walkway. "Figures," she mumbled to herself, before a horrifying idea came across her mind. What if the Robobrains enslaved the people within the pods? What if they trapped her father?

Rushing back through the door, she scrambled down the steps, and rounded the corner through the door to the Tranquility Pod room. As she entered, she came to a slowing stop, looking amongst the pods. She approached the first one, peering inside.

The pod consisted of a recliner chair, with some sort of mind device glowing brightly on the back of the chair, and a monitor that encompassed the passenger's vision. Through the window, Ana peered into the face of the person sitting in the chair, and found the face of her father.

Her knees went weak, her heart fluttered in her chest, and a smile broke out across her face. "Dad!" she cried triumphantly, tapping on the glass. Her father did not look at her. His eyes stayed trained on the screen in front of him. "Dad?" she said with concern, tapping harder on the glass. "Dad! _Dad!_"

"_Please proceed to the nearest Tranquility Pod. Thank you, and have a good day,_" a Robobrain said from behind her.

"Please, I need to talk to my father," she begged, "can't you let him out?"

"_I am sorry, but I am not at liberty to chat right now._"

"God_dammit!_" Ana cursed, stomping her foot in frustration. Summing up the situation, Ana decided the only way to talk to her father (and potentially save him) was by entering one of the unoccupied Tranquility Pods herself. From the state of the screen and the super computer that the pods seemed to center around, Ana concluded that all the people were in some sort of virtual reality. Ana twirled around to find a vacant pod two pods down, and she approached it quickly, crossing her fingers in hopes that she would be able to leave the Tranquility Pod later.

Ana searched the pod for several minutes, but found no mechanisms to open the thing. Finally, she tentatively rested her hand upon it, and the lid groaned in protest, rising slowly upwards from the pod. She stepped back, watching as the lid stood straight and tall, waiting for her to enter. It reminded Ana of one of the specimens in her biology textbook. It was called a—what was it again?—a Venus Fly Trap. It would open its jaws wide, waiting for its next meal to rest between its jaws so that it may close again, killing its unfortunate victim.

With shaking hands, Ana climbed into the pod, and swallowed nervously as she sat in the chair. She squeezed her eyes shut as the pod door began to close on her once more. As the pod hissed upon its closing, the monitor in front of her turned upwards into her face, and a scene of a pre-war suburb filled the screen. Ana looked upon it curiously, when she felt a tingling sensation spread from the back of her skull; the glowing device in the back of the chair acted as a neural link between the virtual reality in front of her and her mind. As the familiar feeling of anesthesia dominated her, Ana felt as if she were slipping into the monitor, and she mumbled a cry once more before she completely submitted to the dreaded feeling of doom, and her world went to black.

* * *

_Me: I'm not gonna lie, I enjoyed killing Burke. I giggle every time I re-read this chapter for editing. "EREAGH!" just can't be taken seriously enough._


	7. Tranquility Lane

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_I feel like a Fallout fanfic celebrity :)_

Chapter Seven: Tranquility Lane

"Hey, sport! Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Ana snapped from her reverie, looking over to her right. A man in a pullover sweater and beige slacks stood next to her, looking down at her on the bench with an overly friendly smile. No, wait, his slacks weren't beige. Everything was in shades of grey and brown, like the world possessed a black and white colour scheme. Ana frowned up at him, obviously too disoriented to reply.

"Say, you should go talk to Betty. She'd be waiting for you over on the playground. Have fun, sport!"

"Sport?" Ana said aloud, then gasped, slapping a hand over her mouth. What happened to her voice? For that matter, what happened to her face? Her hands roughly rubbed her cheeks, her forehead, her eyes – _oh my God_, she thought. _I've gone back in time. I've gone back in time?_

"Well, sure; that's what we call youngsters these days. Don't let it bother you too much, sport. Now, go out and have some fun!"

Ana looked at him with a face that could only be described as a hybrid of confusion and horror. _This can't be happening_, she thought. She brought her left arm up to her eyes, and repressed a terrifying scream. Her Pip-Boy wasn't there. Instead, there was some odd device strapped to her wrist. _OH MY GOD!_ she screamed mentally, her mouth flying open in a silent show of utter shock.

"You all right, kiddo?" the man asked her. Ana shot her head back at the man, her hands flying into her hair.

"Yeah," she said quickly, "I mean, yes. Certainly. Absolutely." She was freaking out beyond control.

"Well, better not keep Betty waiting, huh, champ?"

"Champ?"

"Well, sure; that's another word for youngster, isn't it?"

Ana looked up at him, her horrified face tinted with an incredulous stare. "I have to go."

"Don't have too much fun!"

Ana rose from the bench and observed her surroundings. She was in what looked like a pre-war suburb; a reflection of the image she had seen in the monitor in the Tranquility Pod. _Christ_. She _was_ in the Tranquility Pod. Everything she was seeing, feeling – it was all a virtual matrix fabricated in her mind through advanced technology. It was remarkable, but Ana found herself terrified. She couldn't discern reality from perceptual environment. She knew what she was experiencing wasn't real life, due to the fact that she had aged ten years less, and her vision was robbed of all its colour, but the inability to sense the world where she sat in a chair plugged into a computer frightened her.

The suburb was circular, with no apparent entrance or exit. Several homes circled around an island which sat in the middle of the street, with a small playground hiding amongst a few trees. Ana let out a breath, and decided to meet "Betty". From the looks of the people in the pods, no one was a child; everyone was in fact aged beyond their years, wrinkled and hairless; that meant age was an irrelevant factor in the computer system. Perhaps Betty was a person like herself, and would know more about the virtual reality they inhabited.

Ana began to cross the street when the same man called after her. "By golly! Watch it now, young missy! You don't want to get run over now, do you?" Ana turned around to face him, an annoyed look on her face. "You'd best use the cross walk. Oh, and make sure to stick your arm out, too, to let traffic know you're crossing!"

If Ana could make people combust by a simple glare, the man would have been in flames three times over since finishing his sentence. Still glaring at him, Ana moved to her right three steps, then stuck her arm out rigidly, heading across the street.

"Thata girl! Oh, be careful, now! Look ahead, make sure not to trip over anything!"

"Fucking simulator," Ana grumbled under her breath, and continued across the road. Once she reached the other side, she let her arm fall heavily to her side, and scanned the small playground. She did not see a girl, but her eyes fell upon a dog who sat calmly to the side, resting peacefully beneath the shade of the tree. Despite her distaste for the virtual reality, Ana admired the state of the dog and the healthy look of the tree; simply seeing it in a textbook was much different from seeing it in real life, and Ana found it momentarily breath taking. After glancing up the length of the tree, Ana crouched down next to the dog, resting her hand slowly on its head.

Once she touched it, the dog turned its gaze toward her, squinting its eyes happily as she rubbed its head playfully.

"You're a good dog, aren't you?" she said to him as she scratched. Ana felt silly for talking to an animal that couldn't possibly understand English, but she did it mainly for her own gratification. "Much nicer that the Wasteland dogs, to say the least."

A shadow suddenly cast over her, and she looked up into the tall silhouette of a girl. Ana squinted and lifted her hand to her eyes, trying to see the stranger's face.

"Oh, someone new to play with!" the girl said almost menacingly, "what good luck I have lately."

"Excuse me?" Ana replied. The people plugged into the virtual reality couldn't actually believe it was reality... could they?

"I was just starting to get bored. Oh, we're going to have _so_ much fun!"

"Look, I just want to find someone, I'm not staying long," Ana said, pulling her hand away from the dog. "I'm sorry I can't be your playmate, but—"

"Hold on, who you looking for?"

"My father," Ana explained, quickly throwing her eyes around the suburb. "He's a middle aged man, a scientist; he came here to see a Doctor Braun. Have you seen him?"

The dog whimpered to her side in between its panting breaths.

"Ha, ha, ha! THAT'S your daddy? Oh, we're going to have _so, so_ much fun! This is going to be the best game ever!"

"I think you're avoiding the question," Ana said sternly, though it didn't sound as intimidating in her ten year old voice.

"Ha, ha, and you're avoiding the game! You don't get to say no. If I want to play a game, then you're going to play, and I _want_ to!"

"I'm not interested!" Ana yelled back, standing straight. As she met the girl in the eyes, she felt like she took an involuntary step back. It took all she had at that moment not to cry out. The girl had the most naturally distressing look about her features; her eye sockets were soot black, as if they were painted that way, and her cheekbones matched the evil arch of her eyebrows, while her lips seemed to be caught in a never ending sneer. She was indeed the most frightening looking child Ana had ever seen.

"You're going to play, whether you like it or not," the girl growled. "It's easy, you just make Timmy Neusbaun cry, then maybe I'll help you. If you don't, well... I guess you'll never find out what happened to your daddy, will you?"

Ana looked back at the girls face for a moment before sighing and rubbing her eyes with her hand. After the initial shock of the girl's features, she returned to being an annoying addition to the Tranquility Lane simulation. "Where's Timmy Neusbaun?"

"Right over there," the girl said, pointing across the street at the lemonade stand. Ana looked over her shoulder at the humble looking boy, passing a glass of lemonade to the odd man in the pullover and slacks. "make him cry, then come back to me."

"Fine, fine!" Ana cried in defeat, then turned on her heel, stomping towards Timmy.

"I'm Betty, by the way."

"I figured as much," Ana said with distaste, continuing to march across the street. As she came close to the lemonade stand, the man in the slacks walked away, whistling while he sipped on his lemonade.

"Hi there, I'm Timmy! Wanna play?"

"Uh..." Ana started, looking the kid over. He was far too innocent and friendly to make him cry. "You know what, just keep selling your lemonade. You seem to be doing a fine job there."

"Gee, thanks! I made it myself. Well, my mom helped, but I did the mixing. I promised her I'd give her some of the profits, though. So, what are you doing today?"

"Well, I'm looking for my dad, actually," Ana said, trying to avoid the mission at hand. She could almost feel Betty's heated glare bore into her back. "Maybe you've seen him?"

"Your dad? Nope, I haven't. Did he get lost?"

"...No," Ana said, looking around the small enclosed neighbourhood. How could someone lose themselves in a radius smaller that a mini nuke's mushroom cloud?

"Well, I hope you find him."

"Timmy," Ana started again, folding her arms and squeezing her eyes shut momentarily, "I have something unfortunate to tell you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"None of this is real; it's all a projection in your mind."

"What? You're weird. I don't think I wanna play with you anymore," Timmy stated matter-of-factly.

"You wouldn't be playing with me anyway, not really," she said, then took a deep breath—_I can't believe I'm doing this—_"we're all dead. This isn't real, because we all died in a horrible accident."

Timmy's face seemed to transform into something akin to terror, before he whispered: "Is that true?"

"Yes," Ana said, smoothing out her dress. Why was she in a dress? "Yes, Timmy. I'm sorry."

"That can't be true," Timmy said, giving Ana a ridiculous look, "I eat and sleep and play all the time... people drink my lemonade, actually drink it, and tell me it's good! I think it's good, I can taste it!"

Ana felt her plan faltering, but then she concocted a quick recovery. She let out a low hiss, putting on the best fake sympathetic look she could, before she whispered: "it was the lemonade that killed us all, Timmy. That's why we all drink it all the time; it was the last thing we remembered from life."

The look of terror worsened on poor Tommy's face, and he slapped both his cheeks. "You're lying!"

"It was horrible, really," she continued, feeling utterly ridiculous, "people started turning into zombies... and now we're all ghosts, wandering around this poor town for the rest of eternity, drinking your lemonade."

"Wh-what?" Timmy stammered, clambouring out of his chair. "Daddy! Daddy! Don't drink the lemonade, please! _You're gonna die!_"

As he ran off, childish and terrified sobs flew from his mouth. Ana felt her heart sink in her chest. Whilst clenching her fists, Ana stormed back to the little island to report to "Betty".

As Ana approached the girl from behind, Betty turned to face her, a wicked smile on her face. "Decided you wanted to play after all, huh?"

"Back off," Ana retorted.

The girl's eyes narrowed and her smile became smug. "I had a feeling you'd come around."

Ana's eyes bulged in her head, and her jaw flew open involuntarily. The voice that came out of Betty warped from a little girl's voice to an man's. It wavered in and out of her speech as she spoke, confusing Ana beyond comprehension.

"Your approach was somewhat uninspired, but it will do. Since you won the game, you get a prize. You may ask one question which I will answer as honestly as possible."

Ana opened her mouth to say, "who the hell are you?", but she stopped herself. Her mind caught on to the fact that he may have shifted his voice on purpose to get Ana to divert her track of thought. With furrowed brows and thin pursed lips, Ana glared back at Betty before asking: "Which one of these people is my father?" She had come to the conclusion that none of the people in the simulation represented their true selves, given that the girl before her appeared to have the voice of an aged man.

"Ah-hah, clever girl," the man replied, smiling slyly and chuckling. But as his chuckle died down, his smile shifted viciously into a frown, and he tilted his head forward to glare at her. "Unfortunately, not the right question. Your father is none of these people."

Ana's hands clenched so hard, that her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood. Gritting her teeth in a show of anger, she tried to shake of her fury, and continue with Betty. "If he's not in the simulation, where is he?"

"Ah, ah, I said I would answer one question as a prize," the girl's voice said to Ana, and she rolled her eyes in response. "If you want to ask another question, you're going to have to keep playing the game."

"What have you done with him?"

"Were I you," the man's voice replied, "I would be more concerned with myself at the moment. Question time is over now. Perhaps we'll address it at a later time. First, I have something else for you to do."

Ana's hands ran themselves through her short hair again, as she usually did when she was angry or frustrated. "What is it?"

"Pay a visit to the Rockwells," the man's voice answered, "they're quite the happy couple, and I want you to... _fix_ that."

"You've got to be kidding me," Ana answered, letting her hands fall limply to her sides. "I realize this is a simulation, but have you any idea how ludicrous this all is?"

"Put an end to their marriage," he continued more forcefully, "and we'll talk."

"Fine," Ana stated, "but only because I want more answers from you."

"Rationalize it any way you like," Betty said, her voice shifting between a young girl's and an old man's, "if you succeed, we'll continue our discussion. Here, take this; it might help your persuasion."

Ana looked down at Betty's hands distastefully to see a lacy thong dangling between her fingers. "Good God," Ana mumbled distastefully. When Betty only smiled wickedly in return, Ana swapped the underwear from Betty's grip, then turned on her heel to leave the park. She had the oddest feeling that as she marched past, the dog followed her advance across the island to her dirty deed with a wary eye. Ana brushed it off and kept storming onward, angry at the ridiculous task set before her.

Whoever this "Betty" was, he was a man who seemed to find playing God was funny. She felt anger boil in her mind, and she felt herself twist under the heat. She didn't want to be doing this to these people. Sure, none of it was real, including the people's personalities, but she felt perverse, as if she were violating some written code to steal from innocent victims. _That's exactly what I'm doing_, she concluded before she threw open the Rockwell's door and stormed inside.

"Roger, you _know_ it bothers me when you talk to Martha like that," a woman said from the kitchen, apparently belittling her husband, "when you're not holing yourself up in the basement, you're talking to her from over the fence! I don't like it! She's a scandalous woman...."

"Honey, I've told you," Roger retorted as Ana stomped into the room, "she's just a friendly neighbour! And we've talked about what I do in the basement; it's only me tinkering, you know that. Nothing's going on, Pumpkin!"

Ana marched up to the kitchen table where Mrs. Rockwell sat and Roger stood next to her. Ana threw the underwear on the table, looking at them both with angry eyes. They stared at her incredulously, glancing between the thong and the little girl who threw them there.

"Excuse me, young miss, but what are you doing?"

"I was delivering flyers," Ana lied, "and I found that in the mailbox."

Mrs. Rockwell slowly picked up the thong with two fingers, holding it up with a look of utter distaste. "What the hell is this?" she hissed under her breath, slowly turning her glaring eyes at Roger.

"It's a thong," Ana replied to Mrs. Rockwell's rhetorical question, her voice thick with sarcasm and carelessness.

"This isn't mine," she stated to Roger, ignoring Ana's answer, "what was it doing in our mailbox?"

"I—I have no idea," Roger said, his voice breaking under the pressure, "I don't know what that is, Janet."

"I saw some blonde bomb shell slip it in before I got here," Ana added, trying to fuel the fire she did not want to start. The gradual look of horror and shock developed on Janet Rockwell's face, and her pointed eyes threw daggers at her husband. Roger looked between Ana and his wife, raising his hands in a "I surrender" gesture.

"My God," she whispered under her breath. "I knew it," her voice got louder, "I knew it!" she shrieked.

"Janet, I—"

"Roger, you son of a bitch! You just couldn't stay away from her, could you? And what, you didn't think I'd find out? You disgust me! How stupid do you think I am?"

"I have no idea what this is, Janet," Roger pleaded, "just calm down, and we'll fix this. We'll find out just who put that in the mailbox and we'll set things straight!"

"Oh, I think they're pretty straight enough! You cheating, lying, ass of a husband! The hell with sorting this out. I'm sick of you!" Janet stood from her chair, flinging the thong into Roger's face. "I'm staying at Mabel's tonight," she said, her angry voice wavering through her forming tears, "don't talk to me, don't even _look_ at me!"

As Janet ran from the kitchen and out the front door, Ana stood looking at the poor man. His hand ran through his hair, and he stared at the wall beyond Ana's shoulder, seemingly ignoring her presence. "I don't understand. I just don't understand...."

The thong fell from his hands onto the floor, and he simply stood there, looking at it. Ana's chest slowly filled with guilt, and she turned to leave the house quietly. _It's not real_, Ana thought to herself, _but it still hurts_.

Ana closed the door behind her, leaned against it, and slid down its length, letting her head fall into her knees. She didn't want to be doing this. "Dad, where are you?" she said under her breath, shaking her head in her small dark prison of arms and legs.

"You... you don't belong here."

Ana looked up, squinting her eyes as she tried to make out another figure standing before her. This woman was taller than Betty, and even when she stood, she still couldn't see the details of her face, but her voice told Ana she was an older woman, someone who was wise. Or at least, she hoped so.

"You're not supposed to be here! None of this is real, none of it. Please, make it end! It must end!"

Ana looked taken aback, then her face fell in relief. "Oh, thank _God_! Please, how do I get out of here?"

"We're not really here, we're not really talking. It's all made-up, make believe. We're sleeping, dreaming!" the woman motioned fearfully with her hands. "But it's becoming a nightmare, and he doesn't want us to leave. He won't allow it."

"Who are you talking about?" Ana asked as politely as she could without sounding demanding, "who's 'he'?"

"He calls himself Betty now, but he's still the same. He can put on a new face all he likes, but underneath he's still evil. His name is Braun."

Ana's face fell in shock. Doctor Braun? In her father's voice recordings, Doctor Braun was the man who created the G.E.C.K. In those recordings, however, Braun created the G.E.C.K. over two hundred years ago. How could he still be alive? Were all the people in the simulation from before the war? Ana tried to wrap her head around it as the old woman continued. "Bastard thinks because he helped create this place that he's God here. But I know he still uses the failsafe terminal, I know it!"

Ana shook her head in disbelief, then looked up into the old woman's eyes. "How come you're the only one who's aware of your reality?"

"Don't know... can't sleep sometimes... hear voices... my own skin doesn't feel right, none of this is right! You've got to believe me!" she cried helplessly.

"I do, I do believe you," Ana said, reaching out to touch the woman's arms gently, "but how can I find the failsafe?"

"It's in the abandoned house." the woman said, pointing directly across the block. Ana looked at it suspiciously; it would appear like all the other houses on the block from the first glance, but the windows were blackened, the lawn was overgrown, and the hose just seemed to have an air of ominousness about it. "He doesn't want us going in there," the old woman continued, "because he's afraid we might find it. It's the only terminal to the outside; the only way to shut the whole thing down. You've got to find it and activate it!"

"All right," Ana said, looking to the house. "It'll be all right. I'll look for the failsafe. If Betty... Doctor Braun spots me, try to get everyone to distract him."

"Not real, not real..." the woman muttered in response, wandering away with her face in her hands. Ana rolled her eyes impatiently, then made her way across the block towards Betty. She would confront him one last time before sabotaging his virtual paradise.

"You are quite resourceful, it seems," he said to her as he watered some flowers on the edge of the park, "I am slightly impressed."

"Can it, Betty," Ana said, avoiding calling him by his actual name. She did not want him to know that she knew of his identity, nor did she want to foil her plan. Betty gave a small chuckle, then continued.

"Despite your insolence, I enjoy your company far more than your father's. He responded quite negatively to my requests."

Ana let her eyes fall, and she felt self loathing overtake her. Her father was asked to do the same things, and he disagreed. Shouldn't she have acted accordingly? What would her father say now, if he could see her?

"I did what you wanted," Ana grumbled to him, "now you have some explaining to do."

"You have amused me thus far," Doctor Braun said, straightening and turning toward her from the bush he watered, "but I still don't think you're in a position to be demanding anything.

"Still," he said, tilting his head and touching his chin, "I suppose you've earned the right to some further answers. What would you ask of me?"

"What kind of virtual reality is this?" Ana said, folding her arms, "it has to be centuries old."

"Tranquility Lane was designed to be a home away from home," Betty said, motioning over the small neighbourhood, "a new way of sustaining life after the apocalypse. Vault 112 was the prototype; we never had time to build others. As the designer of simulations, I was given special access. Everyone here is only subconsciously aware of the artificial reality around them; their conscious minds accept it as fact. We have stayed here for two hundred years, for I have no desire to leave. Here I wield more power than I could ever hope to in the outside world, and I use that power to amuse myself. Now, for instance, you will do what I ask yet again because I have power over you."

Ana folded her arms, shaking her head. "I'm not agreeing to anything before you tell me what it is." She had absolutely no intention of continuing the tasks, but she humoured him, not allowing the Doctor to know of her intentions to search the abandoned house.

"Attempting to keep the illusion of control, are we? How quaint. Very well: behind the abandoned house," he began, catching her off guard—could he read her thoughts, too?—"is a dog house." No, he couldn't. "Inside you will find a hockey mask and a knife. Take them, and become the _Pint Sized Slasher_."

Ana's face recoiled, and she looked at Betty accusingly. "_Pint Sized Slasher_?" she asked, her voice bordering on hysterics, "what is that?"

"He is a figure of myth," he replied, holding his arms to the sky, as if talking of a grand deity, "born of old campfire stories. You will make him reality. Don the mask, and use the knife to eliminate all the residents of Tranquility Lane."

Despite his evil request, Ana felt the need to suppress a strong chuckle. "Unbelievable," Ana replied slowly, her eyes searching Betty accusingly. "This is absolutely outrageous." _Yet somewhat hilarious_, she thought.

"Ah, indeed, my dear," Betty said, clenching her small fists before her and smiling with terrifying glee, "now, go forth, and make me proud!"

Ana made a face of distaste, trying to create the facade that she was going to hate what she was about to do. With Doctor Braun thinking she would be looking for the equipment to do the job, Ana had reason to approach the abandoned house without suspicion.

Ana said nothing as she departed from the playground one last time. "Have fun, my dear," Doctor Braun said mockingly, his voice wavering between Betty's and his own. Ana didn't look back at him or make a face of frustration, but instead let a small smile spread over her lips. As she walked past the dog, he looked up at her again, but she offered him a wink, despite herself.

As Ana crossed the street to the abandoned house, Mr. Neusbaun called out to her to use the cross walk again, but she ignored him, heading straight for the house. She threw a nervous glance over her shoulder to see if Betty still followed her movements, but the girl returned to water her flowers. The only one who seemed to be paying attention to her was the dog. She put a finger up to her lips (even though she knew the dog would not understand) and opened the door swiftly and quietly, slipping inside.

Once the door closed behind her, Ana covered her mouth with her hand, coughing out the dust that ambushed her lungs. The house truly was abandoned; little light filtered through the boards nailed to the windows, and junk sat piled up in odd arrangements around the small room, but there was no object that looked like it would resemble a Failsafe terminal.

"Goddammit," she said, and in a fit of anger, she swiped at the coat hanger next to her from the wall forwards. It launched a few feet forwards, then landed on its base again before it fell. As it came down, it collided with a garden gnome, then struck the ground. Ana expected the gnome to topple from the couch, but it did not. Instead, a chime sounded throughout the room, followed by a beep, as if signaling a cancellation. Ana looked at the gnome curiously for a moment, then approached it, touching it gently on the head. The chime sounded again, followed by the same beep. Ana looked to the other objects, an idea sparking in her mind. She touched the cinder block to the right, and a different chime sounded, but the same beep followed. The same occurred with the pitcher, but as she touched the radio, only a single chime was heard. The beep did not sound in the room.

"I see," Ana said, then touched the pitcher. Its chime sounded, but with no cancellation beep. Smiling to herself, Ana set about the room, trying to decipher the code of chimes. After several minutes of experimenting, Ana touched the glass bottle by the door one last time apprehensively after a long string of uninterrupted chimes, and the last note rang out into the room before light flickered on the wall in front of her, and a large computer terminal reformed into existence. Ana smiled to herself triumphantly, then approached the computer.

The terminal was disorienting to look at; it flickered continuously, as if it were a hologram, torn between two realities. The screen produced white snow. Studying the keyboard carefully, Ana hit a command, and the screen shifted to black, showing the various options. Three of the commands at the bottom of the list were notes on Doctor Braun's observances of the simulation system, and Ana selected the first one hastily, reading over the note. She almost didn't feel her jaw drop in surprise as she processed the information. Doctor Braun had been through several simulations before, reseting the environment to his liking. Toucan Lagoon,the Swiss Alps, the Tranquility Lane. He wrote of people dying by malnutrition, shark attacks, freak skiing accidents; she was disgusted.

"That unimaginable bastard," Ana whispered, exiting out of the notes. Her father wanted to find just a fraction of Braun's genius, but now that Ana had found it, she wanted nothing more than to destroy it completely. Almost reluctantly, Ana opened the second note. "That's it," she said, "time to recalibrate your system, Doctor Braun."

Ana exited out of the note, and scanned the rest of her options. One option simply led to the version control of the simulation, but the first option took her by surprise. _Access "Chinese Invasion" Program_. "Excuse me?" she said to herself, executing the command.

Three more options appeared: one to initiate the program, one describing its assembly, and another note added by Braun about the program. Ana opened it, reading over the good Doctor's words.

_There are days I consider finally "pulling the plug" as it were, and putting a permanent end to both this simulation, and my life._

_That is the reason I requested installation of General Chase's Chinese Invasion program, after all. By disabling the safety protocols, I have ensured that each subject in Vault 112 will physically die if their in-simulation avatars are killed._

_Real-world death. End of simulation. The perfect failsafe._

Ana felt reluctant about executing the program and killing all the people, but she considered their years of suffering in the various virtual realities, and the old woman's rambling. _"Not real, not real... the __nightmare has to end."_ Nodding in agreement with the facts, Ana kept reading.

_...In the end, I would kill the subjects, and save myself. I wouldn't want it any other way. Or so I thought... but what about me?_

_I have no ability to disable my own safety from within the simulation. And any other avatars I could create would be driven by the simulation's A.I. Routines... where's the fun in tormenting a machine?_

_And so, the release of the real-world subjects is more than they deserve, more than I could bear. They'd be dead, and I'd be left here in Tranquility Lane, alone and tragically bored for all eternity. I can think of nothing more unacceptable._

Ana thought over the note, then thought over the reality of her situation. If she somehow managed to escape the simulation without activating the failsafe, she could not free the residents from their pods. They were all centuries old, and would die upon release from their pods. Besides, Ana couldn't find a way to open the pods from the outside when she arrived. In addition, the old woman outside the Rockwell's home begged her to end the nightmare. Perhaps it was truly in the resident's best interest to die. But what of her? What of her father?

It was a risk she would have to take. Besides, if it were successful, Doctor Braun would be caught forever in his own virtual Hell, destined to suffer for eternity in the empty world of his own creation. With a quick once over on the Chinese Invasion documentation, Ana found that General Chase was in fact against giving Doctor Braun the program, but he received it anyway. The program read that its purpose was to simulate a Chinese Incursion on U.S. soil. The program was altered to fit into the simulation, and Ana couldn't help but feel impressed by the superior programming. After she decided she was completely familiar with the program, she highlighted the initiation command, and with a hesitant finger, she pushed the _enter_ key.

_Program running. Proceed with caution._

Ana let out a breath, then left the confines of the abandoned house. As she entered back into the outside world, Ana ducked behind the fence in reaction to the sound of gun shots. Several men in uniform took aim and shot at the residents of Tranquility Lane, shouting out orders to each other in Mandarin. The people screamed and scattered across the suburb, some falling to the sidewalks dead, with blood pooling around them.

One of the soldiers pointed to a house across the way, and all of them ran towards it, firing into the windows and killing all remaining residents. When they passed Ana, she ran from behind the fence toward the playground. As she ran in between the bushes to the small island, she found Betty on her knees, looking at the Chinese Invasion program working its magic. She briefly looked around for the dog, but it was gone.

"Do you realize what you've done?" he cried ferociously, "You've triggered the Failsafe! Everything is ruined! The subjects will die and I will be stuck here in this hell alone! You ruined everything!" the voice shifted uncontrollably between Braun's voice and Betty's, "EVERYTHING!"

"It's over, Braun," Ana said, towering over the girl. "I put these people out of their misery. Now you're getting exactly what you deserve."

"You've taken them all from me, you've left me with nothing!"

"I repeat," Ana said mockingly, "you're getting exactly what you deserve."

"It's not fair..." the girl's voice said sadly, "nobody to play with ever again."

A door materialized by the swing set to Ana's left, and she looked at it quickly before turning back to Betty. "Before I leave you to your solitude," she said thickly, "I want some questions answered."

"You do not dominate over me!" Braun yelled fiercely, standing tall. He was still shorter than Ana I his girl's body. "I am still in charge! I decide when things are over, I... I..." his voice faltered, then turned into Betty's, "I just want things to go back the way they were."

Ana ignored his lamenting, looking down at him. "My father came to see you for the G.E.C.K.," Ana started, keeping her arms crossed and her fists balled, "tell me about it."

He straightened slightly from his saddened posture. "The Garden of Eden Creation Kit. It was for terraforming; restoring the world after a nuclear disaster. Unstable technology, and ultimately boring. Why re-make the old reality when instead you could create any reality you choose?"

"So, after your work on the G.E.C.K., you developed the virtual reality sim," she replied over the sound of the bullets.

"Yes, I was unsatisfied with the G.E.C.K. There was no guarantee that it would function properly, and I had better intentions with my unfathomable genius. Vault-Tec commissioned my G.E.C.K., but they also accepted my Virtual Reality Simulator, and gave me the rights to operate it within the Vault they installed it in: Vault 112."

Ana shook her head. "My father came here for nothing...." Suddenly, Ana jolted; her father, where was he? Was he all right?

"What did you do to my father?" Ana asked again, gripping Betty by the shoulders, "where is he?"

"Tck, haven't you figured it out?" Braun replied, looking at Ana with disappointment. "The dog. So loyal, so trusting... so annoying. I simply made him what he truly was."

Ana looked around wildly for the dog again; she knew it was missing, but her worry suddenly caught in her throat. "I grew tired of his insistent questioning, and he refused to entertain me. So I put an end to the problem by making him a more docile companion. Still gave me a headache from time to time, though."

"So, he's all right?" Ana questioned, giving up her search for him, "I can... get him back?"

"Yes, I'm sure he's fine. No doubt when you leave the simulation, he'll be waiting for you." His voice wavered to Betty's, "but there's no one waiting for me...."

"You should have thought of that before you toyed with these people's lives for two hundred years," Ana said with distaste, hearing the last resident shriek as she was shot to death. "Goodbye, Braun. Enjoy your stay in Tranquility Lane."

Ana moved past the little girl, heading towards the door. Betty nearly clawed for Ana's hand, but she fell short, falling to her knees again. Ana looked over her shoulder at Braun briefly before pulling her attention away from him. Part of her wanted to feel guilty, but she told herself that he wasn't worth the weight. As soon as her hand gripped the door handle and pushed it open, her world became black again.

* * *

Ana blinked rapidly, trying to refocus her eyes. As soon as she opened them, the monitor in front of her shifted away, and the top to the pod opened wide again, allowing her to leave. She looked around the room wildly, and saw her father's pod open as well. With a rush from her head to her heart, Ana jumped from the platform, and made her way to her father's pod. As he came down, Ana stopped in front of him, merely paralyzed with shock and happiness. He was there, he was truly there! She had found him at last, and he was all right, they would be all right now—

He looked back at her with an expression equal to her own, and neither spoke for a moment. "Dad," she finally whispered, tears falling across her cheeks and a smile forming on her lips. Before, she thought she would question him insistently, belittle him for leaving her behind, but the sheer happiness of seeing him again was far greater than her annoyance with him. She threw herself towards him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. "I'm so glad you're all right," she said into his shoulder, fighting back her sobs.

"You've saved me," he said quietly, yet his voice was full of gratitude, "I was afraid I'd be trapped in there forever."

Ana squeezed him harder. "I was afraid I'd never see you again," she said, trying to sober up her voice.

"It's so good to see you," he added, pulling away from her embrace and looking her over. Then, his happy face shifted with concern. "But what are you _doing_ here?"

"I came here to find you," Ana said, wiping away the rest of her tears. Questions began to pop into her head like a spreading fire, but she tried to keep them at bay.

"Well, I'm glad you did. This certainly isn't how I expected things to turn out. I wasn't ready for Braun, or I might've fared better. But now I know; I know Project Purity isn't lost."

Ana nodded, encouraging him to continue. "What did you learn?"

"I was right about Braun," he started, "the technology he developed is unstable, even dangerous. But it can be adapted to Project Purity."

"The G.E.C.K. can be used to help purify the water supply in the Wastes?" Ana questioned.

"Yes, it can," he said, his familiar triumphant smile spreading across his face. "But I have to return to Rivet City and talk to Madison. If we can find a G.E.C.K., then we can make Project Purity work."

"Then we're headed for Rivet City?" Ana concluded, searching her father's eyes.

"Yes. There's no time to waste; if I can show Madison what I've learned, I might be able to convince her to pick up the project and succeed where we failed so many years ago. Ana," he said, grasping her shoulders once more, "I'd like you to come with me. I'd like you to be there when we finally open the floodgates."

Ana's mouth slowly turned upwards. "Yes," she said, beaming brightly to him. "Let's go to Rivet City together."

"That's my girl," he said, brushing her hair away from her eyes. She laughed at the gesture, simply elated to have found her father and have him there with her at that moment.

"We have to hurry," he continued, "now that I know what we need, I want to get back to work as soon as possible."

"Okay, dad," she said, nodding to him, offering her sweetest smile, "let's go."

Her father returned the smile, then turned and ran towards the door that led to the garage. Ana followed behind him, keeping her pace matched with her father. When she set off to find her father, she was determined to bring him back home, and set things the way they should be. But at that moment, all she wanted to do was be by his side. She had found him, and everything could be all right again.

Her father burst through the garage's front door, and sunlight struck their faces. Squinting her eyes and shielding them from the sunlight, Ana followed her father across the Wasteland, heading towards Rivet City, heading towards the Wasteland's future.


	8. The Waters of Life

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

Chapter Eight: The Waters of Life

"Dad," Ana said, breaking the silence. They traveled across the Wasteland in complete silence for hours, feeling the sunlight beat down upon them as they made their trek across the barren world. "Do you mind if we talk for a bit?"

"Of course," he said, looking at her from his side, "we've got nothing but time."

She didn't look at him as she prepared herself to ask her question. Ana felt like she would be betraying everything he'd worked for by prodding into his intentions, but she had to know. "How could you leave me in the Vault? I was nearly killed in there, they drove me out!"

Her father looked away from her, obviously struck by the sound of her words. It was what Ana had feared about asking her question, but she felt it was an inevitable topic. "I wanted you to be safe," he finally said, stern determination showing through in his tone, "I didn't want this for you—a life out here in this godforsaken war zone. I couldn't tell you what I was doing because I didn't want you following me."

He sighed heavily, shaking his head. "But, it was a plan not nearly as successful as I imagined it would be."

"Is all of this about mom?" she added after a moment, calculating the situation, "are you trying so hard because of what happened to her?"

Her father stopped, reaching out to grab her arm and keep her at his side as he spoke. "Oh, Ana. If only you could have known how much it meant to her. Your mother was so passionate about our work, and it was her dream to see it through. She gave up so much for this project. We all did, and I don't want that to have been for nothing."

Ana lowered her head, working her jaw to try and reply, but she stayed silent for a long time. "I'm sorry," she finally managed.

"So am I, my love. And, while this isn't what I had in mind, it's good to have you with me."

"It's good to be with you," Ana said, "and I'm glad you're taking me with you this time."

He smiled at her, chuckling slightly. Ana offered a smile back, but it quickly faded. "What is it?" he asked genuinely, "what's bothering you?"

"How did mom really die?"

She felt she had dealt him another blow, but he looked upon her with sympathy shaking his head as he spoke. "I understand that you have reason to question the many things I've told you over the years. But your mother... I've never lied to you about what happened. Not once." He dropped his hands from her shoulders, and Ana forced herself to meet his eyes. "She died giving birth to you. We just didn't have the things to help her through... please, Ana, if nothing else, believe that she loved you, that she wanted to make a world of peace for you."

Ana turned from him, and continued walking to the east. "I'm sorry to question you," she said quietly when he matched her steps, "I guess I already knew you told me the truth, but, you know... with all that's happened, I just wanted to know."

"I understand, sweetheart."

They continued on for a while in quiet. When Ana felt that any offence her questions may have cause evaporated, another question came to her mind.

"Dad, I know about your work on Project Purity, but why? What's so vital about water?"

"The Vault you grew up in had its own water purification system," he started, talking with his hands. "Clean water was never a worry. Out here, things are different. Water in the Wasteland is never clean, and almost always irradiated." She remembered Micky, dying outside the city limits of Megaton. "The water out here is barely able to sustain any kind of normal life. If we can change that, humanity has a real chance at rebuilding, starting over."

"But how did you plan on changing that?" Ana asked after a moment, trying to figure it out for herself, "how could you create a system that detoxifies a large mass of water at such a fast rate?"

"We couldn't," her father replied, lifting his hands up and dropping them lightly in a show of exasperation. "However, we were working on a system that would treat gallons at a time by administering OH to it, but the system became overwhelmed after a short time, and it would shut itself down for hours at a time, and we'd be knocked back to square one. We were so close; your mother discovered an error in the calibration, and we formulated a solution. But... our time was cut short.

"While I was in the old lab, I tried to get it up and running again, but I simply couldn't do it on my own. I suspect you heard my notes, yes?"

"Yeah," Ana said, "that's how I found out where you were."

"Well, since Madison refused to help me, my only solution was to find another source of power. The G.E.C.K. was designed similarly to Project Purity, with a nearly identical system, except with the appropriate materials for terraforming. I thought that if I could find the G.E.C.K. and sync it with the control room mechanisms, then I could get it running. Or, at least, if that didn't work, I could attempt to use the G.E.C.K. myself."

"But how do you even know there's still a G.E.C.K. somewhere out there?"

"Braun told me there was one commissioned to a Vault somewhere in the Capital area. Of course, I can't go to every Vault and knock down the door, asking if I might borrow a Kit. But if I might get to the mainframe in our old lab, I might be able to get information as to where the G.E.C.K. is."

Ana looked off into the distance, thinking on the Vault. "We could never go back, could we?"

"No," her father replied flatly, yet with sympathy. "But even if you could, would you?"

Ana hung her head. "When I first left, I told myself I'd bring you back and sort everything out. But now... things were so comfortable there that I couldn't imagine anything terrible ever happening." She paused, shaking her head and returning her eyes to the horizon again. "You said in your notes that you brought me to Vault 101 because the Project wasn't a place for me, but why did it fall apart after you left?"

"Well, when I left, Madison became head of the project. Of course, we couldn't have our base of operations in a Super Mutant infested area all by ourselves, so the Brotherhood of Steel cooperated with us. They had their base, we had our protection. However, Madison never got along with the Brotherhood. When I left, it fell apart quickly."

"You mentioned that in your notes, too," Ana added, thinking it over. "So she got into an argument with them, and they abandoned everyone?"

"Essentially."

"I can see why."

"Don't get along with the Brotherhood, either?"

"Oh, no, I've met a few good people in the Brotherhood. I can see why they couldn't deal with Doctor Li."

"Madison can be a very persistent and stubborn woman, but she's very intelligent and deliberate. When she does something, she has good reasoning for it. I know she isn't the most pleasant to work with, but you have to get past your differences in order to work in harmony with her."

"Yeah, I know," Ana replied, "but she doesn't have to be such a bitch about it."

James looked at his daughter with an aghast expression for a moment. Ana shrunk away slightly, afraid her father was going to tear a strip out of her. Suddenly, a burst of laughter escaped his lips. Ana looked to him in surprise before letting her own smile spread across her face.

"I suppose someone had to say it," he said, laughing heartily. Ana chuckled with him, starting to feel more light hearted than she had in days.

After their laughter died down, the two of them continued walking through the wastes. In a few hours, the sun would dip down into the horizon again, and night would cover the world like a suffocating blanket. Ana knew her father would want to keep going, driven by his desire to reach Rivet City and bring his news to Doctor Li. She felt she would be able to withstand the journey; spending time in Tranquility Lane had rested her conscious mind, giving her the rejuvenated feeling of several hours of restful sleep under her belt. She would be prepared for anything.

Occasionally, the pair would come across trouble, but they would always find a quick hiding spot to wait until the enemies passed. They were mostly animals; radscorpions, mole rats, rabid dogs. They passed a lone raider on his endless walk across the desert, but he did not see them. From the way he hung his head and dragged his feet, Ana knew that if they did cross paths, the raider would do nothing of it anyway; he was already a dead man.

The moon was still out, and it offered a little light to the wasteland. In the far distance Ana and her father could see the small figure of Megaton, and they both paused to look at it.

"I realize you must be exhausted, sweetheart," James said from behind her, studying her as she looked upon the city with an odd, displaced expression, "do you want to stop there and rest for the night?"

"No," she replied quickly; too quickly. As if there was a need to affirm her statement, Ana shook her head, and repeated, "no."

"All right," James said, patting her shoulder, "then there's no time to waste. Let's go."

After about an hour, James had taken Ana closer to the Potomac, and led her across a bridge in front of a tall fortified building.

"Is that the Citadel?" Ana asked her father as they passed.

"Yes," he replied, without so much as a glance, "it's where the Brotherhood of Steel conduct their operations. They're not likely to let us in, so we might as well continue on to Rivet City."

"Yeah," she agreed. She briefly thought about Sentinel Lyons and the Knight from the monument, but she put them from her mind. There would be another time to see them.

Ana had mentioned nothing to her father, but she was beginning to feel slightly sick to her stomach, like she had risked herself to too much radiation exposure. Ana was thankful she didn't have to swim across the river again, but as they walked across the bridge in front of the Citadel, she could still feel the familiar tingling of something ill entering her body. Her head swam and she held her head low to try and balance herself. Her father didn't notice; she was grateful.

The night was ominous, and the ruins of D.C. towered over the pair with haunting dominance. It was all so much, so intrusive on Ana's thoughts, on her beliefs about the world. When they were but an hour away from Rivet City, Ana paused, looking to her feet. "Is something wrong?" James asked her, watching her curiously as she just stood there.

"All of this is wrong," Ana said, motioning to the ground. "It's not just realizing the truth about life, the truth about the Wasteland... it's realizing yourself, it's when you finally find out who you truly are underneath all the layers of _bullshit_."

"Honey," he cooed, coming closer and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that. I spent my entire life trying to protect you from all this, but... I suppose it was inevitable, wasn't it?"

"I suppose it was," she affirmed.

"We'll be there soon," James assured her, "and I promise you will _never_ have to see the thing you saw ever again. I promise you, Ana."

"I know," _but that won't save me now._

They continued on, and before long, there it was: Rivet City, looming on the banks of the river like a rotten corpse left behind in the battle. "I can't get over the sight of it," Ana remarked, "In a way, it looks like a grand Titan sitting on the shore, promising to protect and defend those who need it most. On the other hand... just looking at it depresses me as if the entire thing is just a reminder of who we were and who we'll always be."

"Survivors?" James offered.

"No, war mongers."

They approached the dock, and walked across the bridge. The security guard standing at the gates hassled neither of them, for he recognized them both, and realized their father daughter relationship.

"Go on ahead," he said, "I think Doctor Li stayed up late in the lab tonight."

"Thank you," James said, smiling. Everyone Ana had met said her father had a way with words, and they were right; he was extremely charismatic. Perhaps that was how he would fight the Good Fight for the Wasteland. Or, at least, in Three Dog's eyes, he would.

They weaved through the littered hallways together, and when they came towards the Science Lab, James rested his hands on the door's wheel, squeezing it.

"Go on," Ana said," this is what you've been waiting for."

"I know, I just have to steel myself for it. Remember what you said about her?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I can usually persuade people of things, but with her... it's a bit of a battle."

"There's two of us this time," Ana retorted, "we can take her on."

He laughed. "I suppose you're right."

The door opened for them, and they entered, looking down upon the lab. A few scientists were tinkering with the fruits and vegetables, writing down observations on their charts. As they came down the steps, the woman holding the apple looked up at them, a look of shock forming on her face. James and Ana made their way across the floor, and the woman put the fruit down, rushing towards Doctor Li. By the time she patted her on the shoulder, James was close enough for ear shot, and his voice rang out triumphantly.

"I told you it would work Madison, and now I can prove it."

"James!" she said, flabbergasted. "You're back!"

"And with good news." Ana's father stood in front of Doctor Li, and Ana stood to the side, observing the both of them. Her father had such a passionate look in his eye, and she couldn't help but feel excited as well. "I was right about Braun and the G.E.C.K. If we can get our hands on one, we can adapt it to the purifiers."

The doctor looked between Ana and her father for a moment, her jaw hanging open as she decided what to say next. "James I..." Doctor Li faltered, "this is just all so... so sudden."

"Madison, I'm telling you, this is _real_. I talked to Braun himself, he confirmed it. The G.E.C.K.'s mechanisms would be easy to adapt to the purifiers. Madison... this is what we've been waiting for."

"I... I don't know, James. So many years have passed. Is it still really worth trying?"

"How could it not be worth improving the lives of everyone in the Wasteland?" he questioned, stepping closer to her. "What could be a more worthy endeavour?"

She gave him a worried look, but it was soft. "You haven't lost any of your passion, have you, James?"

"It's important to me as ever, Madison. I know it's important to you, too. Let's finish it together."

Doctor Li seemed to return his look of awe, but her face fell, and she looked away from him, closing her eyes. "James, I... I don't have a G.E.C.K. I can get a small team together, but I need proof that it works before people believe us."

James nodded. "I know, I was thinking about that. The old lab had some prewar computers that were scavenged. One of them might be useful."

"From the last reports, there's no power at the facility. Even if those computers had a database, we couldn't access it."

"That's why we're going to head over there right now and get everything up and running the best we can," he asserted, motioning with his hands towards the lab's exit.

"You know, if it were anyone else asking me to do this, I'd have them run right out of Rivet City."

"And you know I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this could really work." James gave her a cryptic look. "It's time, Madison."

"Damn you, James!" she exclaimed, not angrily, "when this is all over, you owe me a drink." He smiled. "I'll get the team together."

"Thank you, Madison. It's good to be working with you again."

Doctor Li walked by Ana, muttering "your father," as she passed, and Ana only smiled slyly. Her father, all right. She'd never met a more persuasive man.

"We need to get back to Project Purity," James said to Ana as Madison began to gather her research assistants. "The computer there is our best chance to locate a G.E.C.K."

"All right," she responded, "let's get going."

He smiled broadly. "God, Ana, you're so much like your mother." He grasped her shoulders affectionately, "it'll be good to work side by side with you, honey."

"You too, Dad."

Once Madison rounded up her team from the lab, they set off through Rivet City, marching towards the exit like a band of soldiers off to battle. Ana followed closely behind her father and Doctor Li, and once they left the ship, the moonlight cast a longing light upon them, guiding their way across the bridge and towards the memorial. Ana kept her shotgun in hand at all times, ready for anything that might swoop down upon them. But before long, they arrived at the memorial, at Project Purity, and approached the door to the gift shop.

"Wait," Ana interjected as Doctor Li reached for the door handle. She looked at Ana with annoyance, but the younger woman held her shotgun at an angle and shook her head. "There might be something in there. Let me go first."

"All right," Doctor Li agreed, giving Ana passage to the door. Everyone's eyes seemed to be on her as she approached, but she ignored it, walking inside briskly.

The line followed behind her carefully, becoming extremely cautious as to their surroundings and their actions. Ana held the shotgun close to her firing eye, as if she was expecting to shoot anything at any moment. As they came down the hall, Ana turned right towards the gift shop, and everyone followed.

There were about eight of them in total; her, two mechanics, three lab assistants, Doctor Li, and her father. As they walked through the gift shop unharmed, Ana stopped and lowered her weapon in the hall; the rotunda lay to her left, and they would all be safe.

"Thank you, honey," James whispered in her ear, and patted her shoulder. "All right, we've got no time to waste, let's get to work."

"If you don't mind, Dad," Ana said quietly, feeling unease when she felt all seven annoyed and heated eyes land on her, "I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to go to bed."

His face fell slightly, as if he felt guilt for not realizing it before. He had been so driven that he didn't realize his daughter's fatigue. "Of course, sweetheart. I'll see you in the morning."

"In fact, we should all get some rest."

"No, Madison, I can't do that. Not now, I'm too close."

"Janice, Anne, Alex," Doctor Li said, pointing her eyes at each of her lab assistants, "feel free to use the beds in the subbasement. James and I have some work to do."

None of them moved. "I think we're all on edge."

"All right," Ana said, "I guess I'll just help myself."

"Don't worry, Ana," James said, "if you want to help, do it when you're fully rested. Go on, get some rest."

Ana nodded weakly, and turned on her heel towards the sub basement door. "All right, Janice, I'll have you assist me and Madison in the Rotunda. The rest of you, please..." the voices faded away as Ana walked down the stairs.

Without realizing it, Ana had walked past the bunk room and had brought herself to the single bedroom where she had found four of her father's messages. Her head snapped up sleepily as she caught herself standing there in a stupor, and looked around. The last time she was here, she had been so preoccupied with finding her father so quickly that she hadn't really seen the place. It was quaint (as quaint as a rusted maintenance room could be), and it had an air of homeyness to it. As she scanned the room over, her eyes landed on the coffee table next to her, and her brow furrowed.

Sitting amongst the empty bottles and lab results was a holotape. How did she miss it before? Ana turned and picked up the small item carefully, turning it over in her hands, looking for a label. When she found none, she deduced that it was another of her father's personal notes.

"Might as well," she said sleepily, connecting it to her Pip-Boy and extracting the information. Even though she had already found her father, she decided it wouldn't hurt to listen to all of his observations. Ana landed heavily on the bed, and when the download was complete, she pressed play.

The first words that came out of her Pip-Boy shocked her; the voice wasn't her father's, it was a woman's. As she listened to the tape in surprise, her face transformed from confusion to understanding, and sadness toned her features as she listened to the sound of her mother's voice.

"_That batch of tests was inconclusive, but Madison and I are convinced it's a problem with the secondary filtration system. We're going to recalibrate the equipment and try again tomorrow, so that—tck, James, please, I'm trying to work! Now's not the time!... So that's the next step. Assuming we get the results we need, we'll move on to—ugh, James! Stop! I need to finish these notes! He he he! We'll move onto diagnosing the issues with the radiation dampeners, that should—Ow! James! Uh!... Mm, now? We really shouldn't...."_

The holotape ended with the sound of her mother's playful laughter before cutting out. Ana lay back on the bed, thinking on what she had just heard. Her father was right; there was only so much beauty the old photographs could have shown. The way her mother spoke, the way her passion seemed to be divided between her work and her joy; it was all very moving. After a few seconds of letting the message sink in, Ana pressed a command on her Pip-Boy again, and replayed the tape. She kept listening to the wonderful sound of her mother's voice until she fell asleep on the bed, her mother's giggles fading away into her dreams as she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Ana awoke easily a few hours later feeling rested. The bed, despite being years old, was still easy on the joints and lower back. Without protest, Ana got up from bed and made her way towards the rotunda to see if she could help.

Ana walked into the rotunda, looking up to the small lab that circled above the water from the basin. She could see her father taking notes by a monitor, while Doctor Li and one of the lab assistants stood to the side, discussing a subject. Ana walked up the stairs into the lab, and followed around the circle towards her father. He didn't look up, but he could recognize the sound of her footsteps, and he smiled slightly as he began to talk.

"Here we are, where it all began. Do you remember your mother's favourite passage?"

"Revelation twenty-one six," Ana began, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst for the water of the fountain of life, freely."

"This is what it all means," James said, motioning to the monitor, towards the water below. "The water, the purifier; this _is_ the water of life, your mother's dream."

"I know," Ana said, smiling wide.

"There's something else," he added, his expression becoming unreadable. "I've been hearing good things about you." Ana's face faltered a bit. Good things?

"Is it true?" he began, leaning in closer, "did you really disarm the bomb in Megaton?"

Ana felt her heart sink, and she lowered her head to avoid her father's gaze. Oh, so wonderful and admiral her salvation of Megaton had been. She was a hero of the Wastes, was she not? She disarmed the bomb and saved all from any potential peril. But the fact that she had that fusion pulse charge in her hand and rage in her heart made her a villain, not a hero.

Ana didn't answer her father, but he continued on, taking her silence as affirmation. "I'm very proud of you, even though you put yourself in harm's way. Just be careful out there. This a dangerous world; far more dangerous than anyone in that Vault knows."

Ana kept her head hung as she nodded, but then she sighed heavily. "Dad, I..." _I'm not a hero. I'm not a good person. I want to tell you that I'm everything that would make you proud, but I'm not. I've __killed, I've schemed, and I've wronged. I'm not fit for anyone._

"Yes, Ana?"

Ana lifted her head wearily. "You have any work for me?"

"Right," he said, pulling some items from his large open Vault 101 suit pocket, "the flooding shorted out some of the fuse boxes downstairs, including one of the controls to the automatic doors." He handed her the fuses. "The box is back down in the subbasement, near the eastern end of the level. Once the fuses are replaced, you'll be able to get to the mainframe."

"And then we can find a G.E.C.K.?" Ana asked, her voice becoming more cheerful.

"That and more," James said. "Thank you for doing this Ana, and be careful."

"Will do."

Back down in the sub basement, Ana shook off her sadness, and decided she would come clean to her father once the excitement died down. She didn't want to disappoint him with her tale of dishonour at such a critical time. She had never seen him more determined nor alive, and she could not spoil that now. She would ask him for guidance when Project Purity was at work again.

After a little searching, Ana came face to face with the fuse box. "Ah-ha," she said, approaching the box, "now, what makes you tick...."

After careful consideration, Ana placed the fuses on the box, and turned on the switches.

"_With the fuses in place,_" her father said from the intercom, "_you should be able to access the mainframe. No need to come back to the control room, just head straight there._"

"Okay," Ana replied over the small device, and weaved her way back towards the sub basement's first room. When she reached the top of the stairs, she crossed the room, towards the door labeled _**MAINFRAME**_. A green light illuminated in the corner, signaling Ana's ability to pass through.

The door slid apart and sunk into the floor, opening the way for her to travel. Ana walked in tentatively, ensuring there were no Super Mutants lurking in the corners, then walked forward. A large computer covered the entire back wall, and Ana approached it with excitement, waiting to tinker with the tool. She knew it wasn't in her place to experiment at such a crucial time (in case she broke something), so Ana simply headed for the computer, and pressed the large button by the monitor which turned it on.

"_Well done,_" James said to her left. Ana approached the intercom as he spoke. "_It'll just be a few minutes before we can access the mainframe._"

Ana pressed the button, speaking into the mouth piece. "So, what would you have me do?"

"_I have a few things around the control room that need fixing. Why don't you come up here and give me a hand?_"

"Sure thing," Ana replied, then turned from the intercom.

"_Actually, wait,_" he interjected quickly, and Ana came back to the intercom, "_there's one other thing I need you to do. Janice says there's a blockage in one of the intake pipes. It's on your way back; head back up to the museum level and give me a call on the intercom when you get there._"

"Okay," she said. The other end went dead, and Ana sighed before she made her way back up to the main level. Her feet felt heavy, as if she were carrying around too much burden, too much guilt. But, somehow, she supposed it felt a little lighter. She hadn't said a word to her father, but already it seemed he made her feel better. He had that affect on people.

As Ana entered the main room to the gift shop, she passed through to the main hall. No doubt the tunnel would be in plain sight, so she'd look for it before asking her father for pointless directions. She came to a dead end of a hall that seemed ominous and haunting. Ana wanted to feel frightened, but she'd been through so much worse over the past few days, that the dark look of the grate bothered her little. She found the intercom on the wall to her left, and she pressed the button. "Okay, I'm here."

"_All right, you should be just outside the pipe that's been giving us trouble. Now don't worry, this isn't dangerous at _all." Not that Ana was worried about danger anymore. "_Just get inside and use the manual controls to drain the pipe. That'll break up the debris enough for the filters to function properly._"

"All right, no problem."

"_Now, I won't be able to contact you once you're in there. You'll exit near the cisterns, and then you __can get in touch with me again._"

Ana's finger hovered over the call button, but she hesitated. Finally, her finger slipped from her own restraint, and pressed on the button. "Dad?" she said into the mouth piece, waiting for a response.

"_Ana?_"

"I... thank you, for not pushing me away. I'm happy to be here with you; I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"_I'm glad to have you here too, sweetheart. Your mother would be proud. I'm proud._"

"I'm glad to know."

"_I'll see you when you get back._"

"Yeah."

Ana turned toward the iron grate that appeared like a prison on top of the pipes, and she opened the top, climbing down. As her feet touched bottom again, she looked down the tunnel, observing her surroundings. Luckily, light bulbs hung from the top, lighting her path down the pipe. Carefully dodging the bulbs, Ana wound her way to the end of the pipe, and climbed through another iron grate to the outside.

It was sometime around midday, and large openings in the pipes where time had eroded it let the sunlight spill into the hall. Ana looked up through the openings, seeing only clear blue sky. It was a brightening sight compared to the endless scope of the Wasteland. Near the middle of the pipe, Ana found a small wheel that controlled the flow of the pipes. Grasping it firmly, she began to turn it counterclockwise, and it whined in response. When she reached the end, she brushed her hands together, as if to celebrate a job well done.

Ana looked to her left, but activating the flood control had left her momentarily trapped. She couldn't exit either way, for the iron grates where locked shut by the automatic door system that the mainframe controlled. Ana tapped her foot impatiently, looking to the exit.

Suddenly, an odd sound touched her ears. She looked out the openings of the pipes towards the clear blue sky, trying to analyze the odd reverberating. It sounded like huge rapid wings beating against the air, and Ana clung to the opening in the pipe in front of her in fear.

Then she saw them. Two huge black machines landed on the roof of the memorial, directly in front of her vision. Her mouth opened wide, and she gasped in shock. Flying machines? How? _Who_?

Her father's voice came on over the intercom. "_Everyone, listen. It seems we have some visitors. Please, remain in your assigned areas until we get this sorted out._"

Men in large armour began to jump from the helicopters, and they rushed inside the memorial. They looked like they were clad in plates similar to the Brotherhood's, but their armour shone black in the light, and gave the impression that they were no missionaries for a cause. Ana looked anxiously to her left. The pump control still worked away, blocking her path to get back into the memorial. Her eyes darted back to the horrifying sight above, watching as the soldiers infiltrated her father's project. Then, a man in a long white overcoat stepped down carefully from the helicopter, and walked across the roof. He held his hands behind him casually as the soldiers ran on either side of him, and Ana pounded her fist against the pipe. Whatever they were there for, it was not good intentions.

Ana ran towards the door, and kicked at it. "God dammit, open up!" she cried. The light changed from red to green up above, and Ana burst through the grate, running into the pipe hastily. The pipe dropped suddenly, and she fell onto an iron grate, then jumped down to the next, then the next. On the last iron platform, Ana jumped down, rolling down the remainder of the slope. Ana forced herself to her feet quickly, then dashed through the last of the tunnel.

Ana burst through another grate door, and ran to the end of the open tunnel. She found herself running towards the first room of the subbasement, except she was on the opposite end. The room was fenced off by a chain link wall, and from her position, Ana could make out one of the soldiers patrolling the area.

Ana wanted to shoot at the soldier, but her only weapon was the shotgun, and that would do no damage from her distance. Ana crouched and made her way to the end of the tunnel, then eyed the drop to the lower floor. It was a good twelve feet, but Ana knew she could make it.

"Hey!" the soldier yelled, and Ana jumped in response, landing in a roll on the ground, missing the pools of water by inches. "For the president!" he added, firing his laser gun at her. Ana dashed forward, dodging the shots. She entered a familiar hall, and she ran towards the sleeping quarters, then up the stairs beyond.

As she came tot he top of the first flight, Ana hugged the wall with her back, sidestepping towards the next set of stairs. If the soldier could map his way around the facility already, she knew he would be coming for her down those stairs. Ana drew her shotgun from her Pip-Boy, then whirled around the corner, her gun at the aim. The soldier was two feet away from Ana's barrel, but V.A.T.S. kicked in automatically regardless. Taking the angle that the Pip-Boy suggested, Ana took a step forward and held her gun high as the soldier aimed at her, then she fired. The pellets sprayed across the soldier's face, breaking apart his mask. He was thrown off step, and stumbled backwards onto the steps, holding his face. The gun was combat action, and the magazine turned itself as she fired, giving Ana the freedom to open continuous fire. She stepped up the stairs closer, then fired at the soldier's helmet again. More bits of it broke away, and he called out in pain as a pellet struck him in the face. Ana could see his eye peering up at her from a chipped part of his helmet before she fired again. This time, the round broke through the strong helmet, and tore apart his brain. The soldier's body jolted, then fell back onto the stairs. Contemplating herself, Ana took his laser rifle and what was left of his ammo, and rushed up the rest of the stairs, trying to shake away her guilt. As she came into the main room of the sub basement again, she headed up the last set of stairs to her left that brought her to the museum level.

Ana opened the door slightly, peering through the crack. A soldier stood to her right by the rotunda door. Putting her shotgun away safely, she loaded the laser rifle to its fullest, then pushed open the door quickly, storming the soldier. She cried out ravenously as she opened fire upon him, and he held his arm to his face, staggering backwards as his free hand drew his laser rifle. "Engaging hostile!" he said over his radio as he fired at Ana. The young woman jumped behind a ruined monitor, ducking out of harms way as the soldier opened a hail of lasers at her. When the firing ceased, Ana pivoted on her heel around the corner, and pulled V.A.T.S. to her aid again. With four swift shots, Ana struck the soldier in the head continuously, and he dropped to the ground, disoriented. Rushing forward to take the rest of his ammo, Ana then hurried into the rotunda, praying that her father was all right.

As she rushed up the stairs toward the control room, she found Doctor Li standing outside the window, watching something intently. The opening to the control room door was shut off by a sliding wall activated from the inside, and to Ana's horror, she realized she could not get in and save her father from whoever was intruding on the project. As she reached the top of the stairs, she found two soldiers standing inside the control room beside the man in the long white cloak she had seen earlier. They were facing Ana's father and a lab assistant. _No_, Ana thought in horror, and passed Doctor Li to the bulk head door, withdrawing her weapon and listening to the confrontation.

The man in the white cloak had his hands folded behind himself, as if his demeanor was cool and collective, as if he did this sort of thing everyday; enter, detain and attack. As he started to talk, Ana stood directly behind him, separated by the windowed wall, and her father made brief eye contact with her, shaking his head slightly with a stern face.

"By the authority of the President," the man in white began, "this facility is now under United States government control. The person supervising this facility is instructed to hand over all materials related to this project."

"I'm sorry, but that's not possible," her father replied, "the Enclave has no authority here. I'm going to have to ask you to leave at once."

_The Enclave._ Ana recalled Nova's description of the Enclave radio station, and of her suspicion that it was merely a broadcast on a loop. It was an actual organization, an organization that claimed to be United States government. Ana balled her fists, watching on with worry.

"Am I to assume, sir, that you are in charge?"

"Yes, I'm responsible for this project."

"Then I repeat that you are hereby instructed to immediately hand over all materials related to the Purifier!"

"I'm sorry, but that's—"

"Furthermore," the man in white interrupted, "you are to assist Enclave scientists in the instruction of operating this facility."

"Colonel—is it 'colonel'? I'm sorry, but the facility is not operational." The man unfolded his hands from behind his back, pulling his shoulders back slightly. "It never has been. I'm afraid you're wasting your time here."

"Sir," the man said firmly, "this is the last time I'm going to repeat myself. Stand down at once, and turn over control of this facility."

_Come on, Dad, please, please, just do what he says, don't get hurt, please...._

"Colonel, I assure you that this facility will not function. We've never been able to successfully replicate test results."

The man's hand moved to a gun at his hip, and Ana shouted, "no!" as he drew it. Turning slightly in his step, he aimed the gun at the lab assistant. Ana screamed as the colonel fired, and the woman's head snapped back before her body hit the floor. Ana stepped into her balled fist, slamming it forcefully against the bulkhead door. Cracks split across the glass, and the Colonel turned slowly to look at Ana. He gave her a harsh glare before turning back to her father, who looked equally as enraged.

"If you comply now, it will ensure the safety of everyone in this facility. Understood?"

"You fucking _bastard!_" Ana screamed, slamming her fist against the glass again. She drew blood.

"Ana," her father warned, looking at her briefly, then darting his eyes back to the Enclave representative. "All right, colonel. There's no need for more violence."

"Then you will immediately hand over all materials related to this project," the Colonel repeated, folding his hands behind his back once more, "and aid us in making it operational at once". Ana gritted her teeth, cursing him under her breath.

"Very well," James replied, "just give me a few moments to initiate the system." He turned away from the Colonel, and began to punch a code into the control panel across from them.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Ana whispered, pressing her hands against the glass, feeling her teeth grind together and her eyes bulge. This couldn't be happening. _Just don't get hurt, please...._

"I grow tired of waiting," the colonel growled, glaring at James from across the room. Ana watched as horror built up inside her. _If you hurt my father, I will tear you a-fucking-sunder!_

"Just another minute, and I'll be done."

Suddenly, the bulkheads around the rotunda exploded, and Ana braced herself, stumbling backwards. An alarm began to sound, but her ears rang, muting the sound. Ana pulled her arms from her eyes forcefully, trying to figure out what had just occurred. Almost immediately, the two soldiers and the colonel dropped dead, horrible sounds flying from their mouths as they crumpled in demise. Her heart raced, and her Geiger counter ticked. _Oh my God, nononono this isn't happening—_

Ana pressed her palms up against the glass, and watched in terror as her father limped up to the bulk head door through the faint layer of smoke that filled the small control room. He placed his palm against the window where hers was, and looked into her eyes, his face so even and calm.

"Run, Andromeda," he said weakly, "run."

He began to slip down to his knees. "Dad?" she called, her voice wavering in uncertainty. As his knees hit the floor, his arms seemed to go limp and his head slumped forward. "Dad?! _DAD! DAD!_"

Her fists hit the glass head so hard, that she didn't realize she was spreading her blood around the window. Her heart raced in her chest and her mind felt raw and foggy; she couldn't think or breathe. Her eyes were burning, and her damned ears were still ringing. Her father's body hit the floor, and he lie motionless with the rest of the victims inside.

"_DAAAD!_"


	9. Andromeda

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_I tried fiddling with the dialogue, just to spice things up and not bore you. Well, I hope you're not bored with what happens. This is a KA-POW chapter!_

Chapter Nine: Andromeda

Two hands suddenly clasped her shoulders and pulled her away from the bulkhead door. Her Geiger counter stopped ticking, but she couldn't hear it, anyway. Her world was so loud and chaotic; there was screaming, ringing, and his body, dead on the ground. Her father was dead. He'd dead he's dead and oh my God.

Ana didn't even feel her feet climb down the steps, but when the air cooled around her face, she opened her eyes to see Doctor Li had dragged her from the rotunda. The woman was still pushing her forward when Ana snapped.

"No! Get off me!" She shrieked, ripping herself from Doctor Li's grasp, "what are you doing?"

"James..." Doctor Li said, her voice unbelievably hurt and sympathetic. Ana was certain the sound of her voice could never be reproduced by her, and it shocked her slightly into listening. "He's gone..." her voice was so faltering, filled with sympathy, but the weakness in her voice passed. "They'll be coming for us next. We've got to evacuate now!"

Ana started back to the rotunda, but Doctor Li's hand clasped her upper arm. Ana yanked at her grasp hard, and Doctor Li stumbled forward a bit. The woman's face contorted with rage; with a blink, her hand came around and slapped Ana across the face. The girl stepped back, holding her cheek momentarily, spreading blood across her face. Her eyes burned with such anger and shock as she looked back at Doctor Li. "I'm not leaving my father in there!" she growled in hushed tones.

"Your father... he caused an overload," the woman began, "he sacrificed himself to keep the Enclave from getting to the purifier, and to buy us some time to escape. There'll be more of them coming. We need to get out of here before they find us, or else your father died in vain. Ana, there's nothing anyone can do for him now. The radiation levels in there are lethal. You'd die the same way he did. We need to get out of here—_now_."

A sob left Ana's lips, and she squeezed her eyes shut and looked away from Doctor Li. "How?" she said with an unbalanced voice.

"We used an old abandoned tunnel as an escape route once before many years ago. Everyone else should be there now. We need to hurry, let's go."

Ana's hands balled into fists, and her fingernails dug into her palms, opening more wounds in her hand. Her eyes were still squeezed shut, and her teeth gritted together in a silent growl.

"Ana, snap out of it, we need—"

"Go," she yelped, not looking at the Doctor. When Ana heard nothing in reply, her eyes flew open, and she shoved at Doctor Li's shoulders, spreading blood on them. "_Go!_" she shrieked again.

Madison looked at the girl in surprise and shock, then retreated up the hall. Ana ran after Doctor Li, tears spilling out of her eyes. She followed her around the corner, and Doctor Li knelt down quickly on the ground, removing a man hole cover from a hole hiding inconspicuously in the corner. She tossed it aside heavily with a grunt, then grasped onto the tops of the ladder that poked up from the hole. When Doctor Li climbed a ways down, Ana followed suit, positioning her boots on either side of the rungs and grasping the iron bars loosely, letting herself slip to the ground. As her boots touched the ground of the pipe below, Ana turned towards the open path. The lab assistants and maintenance crew had already gathered there, and Doctor Li was herding them forward. A few of them looked back at Ana, angry looks on their faces. Ana didn't care. She started forward, running in front of the small crowd of scientists.

"Don't wander off," Madison shot over their heads at Ana, "we're going to need you!"

Ana didn't reply. She drew her laser rifle and moved down the hallway, holding it at the ready for any threats. As she rounded the bottom, an Enclave eye bot came into view, and Ana blasted it with the laser rifle, exploding it into bits. She continued to scan the area, her breathing heavy and her eyes wild. She turned to her left, following the winding tunnel around. She could hear everyone following her, and she didn't bother to look back. Her heart and her mind raced so much that she didn't care who followed her, who ran, who lived, who died. She saw another eye bot in the distance. She shot at it, blowing it up before it ever laid its camera on her.

"Slow down!" Madison commanded, but Ana kept moving. As she rounded yet another corner, a large steel door was at the end. From a doorway to her left, an eye bot floated through. As it crossed her path, Ana grasped it by an antenna, and tossed it around into the wall repeatedly. When it continued to float and function, Ana shot it with the laser rifle, breaking it apart.

"I need to hack the terminal to open the door," Madison said as she passed, motioning to the huge door at the end of the tunnel, "you cover us while I get it figured out."

Ana didn't acknowledge her words, but she crouched down in the middle of the hall, facing away from the door, holding her aim close to her vision. As she knelt there, one of the mechanics approached her from behind.

"I'd better not find out that you or your father had something to do with this. If I even think you sold us out...."

_My father is dead, he's dead he's dead he's dead—_"Can you shoot?"

"Excuse me? I—"

"Can you shoot?"

"I, uh... if you got a gun I can use, I'll see what I can do."

"Take the shotgun," Ana growled, calling it from her Pip-Boy and handing it to him from over her shoulder. The mechanic seemed to falter a bit, but he took the gun anyway, leaving Ana in silence. She continued to hold her aim near her eye, tears pooling at the bottom of her eyes.

"There, done," Madison called, and the door rumbled to life as it opened behind them. Ana stood abruptly and marched past everyone, striding through the doors as they opened. Everyone trailed behind her cautiously. As Ana walked down the slight slope, she caught a glimpse of a ghoul prowling around carelessly with his back to her. Ana continued to march as she took aim and fired, disintegrating the ghoul into a pile of ash. Without stopping, Ana kept stomping forward, and as a ghoul rushed around the corner, she treated it to a similar fate. She led the group down the tunnel, through the door at the end. Ana kept storming, trying to repress her anger and her sobs. Amata wouldn't have called this "releasing the Bitch". Ana didn't even know who she was at that moment.

"We can't go any further," Madison said forcefully behind her, "we need to stop."

Ana didn't listen, but instead kept rushing around the tunnel, trying to decide to go straight or left. Madison continued anyway.

"Garza was injured," she growled with her dominating tone, "he needs medicine or he may not make it. I'm not moving until he gets the treatment he needs."

Silence.

"Ana,_ listen to me!_"

Ana turned on her heel and lunged towards Doctor Li, shoving her laser rifle in the woman's face. "I'm tired of your bitch act, you despicable woman! You think the only way to get your demands across is to shove yourself down everyone's throats!" Ana cocked the rifle, and the mechanic raised the shotgun at her. "If you want my help, you're going to back the fuck off, and follow my lead, _understood?!_"

Doctor Li didn't reply, but her chest rose and fell heavily and her face reflected the utmost rage. "Ana, be reasonable about this."

"Be _reasonable_?" Ana cried, "my entire life fell apart in less than a week. I watched my father die while you ordered me around like a fucking dog! Be reasonable, you say? Shut that hole in your face and follow me, else I'll just leave you behind. That sounds reasonable enough to me."

Madison stayed silent, and after a few moments, Ana withdrew her rifle and recalled her stimpaks from her inventory. She still had plenty from the Vault, and she threw the remainder at Madison's feet before turning and starting through the door to her right.

The group lagged behind, in order to help Garza or to give Ana her distance, she wasn't certain, but neither did she care. She went through another door at the end of the hall, and started up the short iron steps to the platform. As she walked by a lone couch sitting on the walkway, a green plasmic blast flew past her, colliding into the cushions and spreading cotton and disintegrated furniture everywhere. Ana slid to a stop, taking aim at her attacker above. The Enclave soldier shot another plasma ray at her, striking her in the arm.

"AAGH!" she screamed, staggering back onto the remains of the couch. Since leaving the Vault, she had been grazed once, shot once, but not shot with a plasma rifle. Her arm burned and ached beyond belief, as if it had been torn off, lacerated all over, then reattached painfully. Ana still screamed, clutching her arm, as she forced herself onto her feet and escaped from the soldier's line of fire. She ducked behind an iron pole, leaning her back against it and sliding down.

"_Shit_," she cursed loudly, holding her arm desperately. It bled copiously from the shoulder, a river of red flowing freely from her veins. At that moment, she wished she had kept some stimpaks for herself. She hoped Garza would appreciate her gift.

Ana peeked around the corner cautiously, but the soldier fired another shot of plasma at her, causing her to withdraw. Ana saw what she needed to. Grasping her laser rifle painfully, she swiveled around quickly, opening fire. Her shots penetrated the pipes easily, and a hail of debris fell upon the soldier, throwing him off balance and knocking him over. Taking her advantage, Ana opened fire on the Enclave bastard, throwing a hail of lasers in his direction. He didn't get up, but Ana held her aim.

One of the lab assistants walked by her cautiously, more worried of her than the threat of the Enclave soldier above on the upper platform. Another passed, then another. They were all silent, and Ana tried to calm herself as she kept her aim on the platform above. Tears kept coming and falling down her cheeks, creating an image that invoked utter sympathy. She was a girl on a rampage of death on the brink of her own destruction. A small sob escaped her lips. Doctor Li called out to her softly, or at least, as softly as she was able. "Let's go."

Without looking at her, Ana ran past Doctor Li through the small office behind them. They dashed up the stairs together, and after a short distance, they found themselves in the same familiar tunnels as before. Ana approached a huge bulkhead door, and hit the switch forcefully. As the door's plates began to slide apart and into the ground, a Knight stood before them, his flamethrower aimed and ready to destroy them.

"Fuck," he said through his voice piece in his helmet, "this isn't a tourist attraction."

A chorus of ghoul's shrieks sounded behind them, and everyone turned their heads toward the tunnels. "Move!" the Knight commanded, and everyone, save for Ana and the mechanic, fled behind the barrier, leaving the combat to the experienced. Ana could hear their horrible footsteps slap against the rubble of the ground like bone on cold cement, and she gripped her laser rifle not out of fear, but out of desire to simply kill something. Would that be the only way for her to heal? Would her only tonic be to destroy?

The ghouls rounded the corner, and Ana and the gun turret above began to hail bullets into the swarm. A few ghouls landed dead the moment they appeared from behind the wall, but a few got by, and flung their arms back to strike. The mechanic blasted a load into the chest of a ghoul two feet away from Ana, making it snap back in the air for a moment before falling back down again.

"Duck!" the knight commanded, and the two combatants flung themselves in opposite directions as a stream of fire burst forth, burning all the ghouls in its path. Ana looked up to see the ferals flailing their arms in pain as they burned. They fell to the ground, but they did not die immediately. The smell of burning rotted flesh was enough to make her sick at any other time, but Ana was so numb, she wasn't sure if she would ever react to anything again.

"Get a move on," the Knight said, "you'll just be in my way otherwise."

Ana pushed herself to her feet and righted herself before continuing. She set off at a light jog, keeping her pace slow enough for everyone to follow after her. "There's a ladder up ahead," Doctor Li called to Ana over everyone's heads, "it'll lead up to the Citadel."

As Ana rounded the last corner, she saw it. It was black, cast in shadow, and ascended up to the earth with such a dark and ominous sight that Ana wasn't sure if it would lead to salvation or hell. Taking a short leap, Ana flung herself onto the ladder, and propelled herself upwards quickly. She could hear everyone climb the ladder behind her one by one, and as she reached the top, she pushed the manhole cover away, opening the path to the world. Instead of being struck by light, Ana was greeted by an endless darkness, void of star or moonlight. She climbed up onto the dirt, scrambling to her feet. The Citadel stood before her, in shambles, yet powerful looking. In the thick darkness, however, she felt it could offer her no protection. Nothing could anymore, nor ever would again. She fell to her knees, crying hard.

"_Oh, Andromeda, if only your mother were here. She would be so proud of you, sweetheart. You've got such a good heart."_

"Why?" she sobbed quietly towards her hands that gripped her knees, "why did you have to leave me, too?"

"Ana," Madison said so sadly, kneeling down by the grieving girl. Ana flinched away from the sound of her voice, raising her hands to shield her face. "Ana, come with me. You can't stay here."

"I can't stay here?" she asked, her sorrowful tones filled with bitterness, "where will I go? Where do I belong now?"

"Follow me into the Citadel," she replied, her voice becoming less sympathetic by the syllable, "don't let your father's death be for nothing. Fight with us, Ana."

Ana felt her sadness dissipate and an anger build in its place. She could have easily saved her father; he did not need to sacrifice himself, did he? At that moment, Ana realized she was wrong. She might have been able to save him then, but the Enclave would have captured the project once they were gone. She didn't know the Enclave's intentions with the project, but she knew they wouldn't be for the good of the people. Now, with the lethal levels of radiation in the control room, no one would be able to activate it without dying. Her father sacrificed himself for his work, for the future of the Wasteland.

What about her future?

Ana stood slowly, but her head still hung towards her feet; she felt she hadn't the strength to lift it again. Doctor Li started forward, and Ana followed her closely behind. The rest of the group huddled before the grand doors, and a Paladin shook his head while talking to them in words inaudible to Ana. As they came nearer, Ana realized he wasn't letting them in.

As Doctor Li spoke, her words became filled with such pain and despair, but they were still supported with her strong willed nature. "I am Doctor Madison Li," she started, balling her fists and positioning her feet defensively as she talked to the man clad in large blue armour, "there are people with me in need of shelter, you must allow us access at once!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the Paladin replied smoothly to her, "no unauthorized civilians inside the Citadel. You'll have to leave now."

Madison gritted her teeth and stomped forward, pushing the Paladin slightly as her other hand slammed against the call button of the intercom. "Lyons!" she stormed, "II know you're listening to this, you smug bastard! Open this door _now!_"

There was silence, and Ana looked between Doctor Li's back and the heated annoyed face of the Paladin next to her. Then, with a fierce grinding, the giant door before her began to climb upwards, throwing dirt into the air and forcing Ana to cover her ears. As the door rose high enough for people to pass through, all the memorial's refugees walked forward slowly, their gait a distinctive reflection of their hardships and trials of the day just passed. Ana followed them in a similar fashion, her shoulders hunched forward and her face turned towards the ground. Her short hair fell into her eyes, giving her the look of a dark and troubled person. If it weren't for the sadness residing on her face, she would have appeared sinister.

Directly behind the gate was a long dirt path formed by rubble piled on either side leading to a much smaller door that separated the Citadel from the Wasteland. The rubble was from the noticeably ruined building through which they traversed at that moment. Above the door at the very end, Ana could make out the familiar yellow crest of the Brotherhood of Steel; an image meant to instill hope, which only offered Ana a lingering sense of loss. When they approached the door, Doctor Li opened it wearily, and each of them followed her through, one by one. Ana let the others pass her first, and each of them appeared to want to look her in the eye, but their heads stayed hung. As the last lab assistant walked through the door, Ana followed solemnly, letting it fall closed behind her.

As Ana stepped through the door, she observed the place quickly. She stood in a courtyard, illuminated by a few individually powered lamps spread across the field. It was huge an expansive, taking the shape of a pentagon. Everyone crowded behind Doctor Li, and a man in long robes approached them from the front. He was bald with a long white beard, which gave him the appearance of a sacred wise man in accordance with his attire. Ana stepped up just behind Doctor Li as the man drew nearer, but she kept her eyes downcast, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

"Madison, I'm surprised to see you here!" His voice was humble and light, making Ana feel more sick than better. "What can I do for you?"

"Don't talk down to me, Lyons!" Madison retorted, and for once, Ana agreed with her over empowering attitude. "I had no where else to turn; you must help us! Project Purity has been overrun!" Her voice seemed to embody more desperation as she continued.

"Yes," he said, retaining his same odd joyful tone, "I've heard reports of an incident there. What details can you give us?"

"The Enclave," Madison said, becoming more breathless, "they've attacked Project Purity. James is dead," Ana flinched, "there may be more, I don't know. You have to do something!" her voice bordered on hysterics as she begged him.

Ana didn't look, but she could feel all eyes of the lab assistants turn to her. Where their eyes had been hard and accusing in the tunnels, they now felt soft and sympathetic. Ana felt that it burned more. She didn't want anyone's sympathy.

"Then it's as we feared," Lyons's tone changed in worry, but not by much. "Madison, I'm sorry this happened, I wish we could have done something."

"Then _do_ something now!" she retorted, her angry self reviving, "they've taken over the Purifier. Lyons, they cannot be permitted to have control over it; who knows how they'll tamper with it!"

"Now, now, calm down!" Lyons cooed, trying to slow Doctor Li's hasty words, "you know as well as I do that the Purifier doesn't work."

Ana suddenly realized with a sinking heart what had occurred. She had turned on the mainframe again. The computer had information on the G.E.C.K. The Enclave had arrived at exactly the right moment; the information they needed to get Project Purity running in their favour was laid at their feet by her doing. "Perhaps it's time to walk away," Lyons suggested as Ana hung her head even lower.

"That's not true," Madison replied breathlessly, "James... he found what's been missing. We know how to get it running."

"Is that so? Does the Enclave know this?"

"No, I don't think... I don't know," Madison said, noticeably exhausted, "I—I just don't know what's happening anymore."

"All right, Madison, it'll be okay," Lyons reassured, but his voice remained the same, as if he were incapable of providing true comfort. "Now, this is James's daughter, I presume? I can see the resemblance."

Ana didn't look up at him, she just shifted her eyes away. She had once wished she looked like her mother, just to keep her as a reminder. Now that her father was dead, had she become his memento? Would she be reminded for the rest of her life that her father had died right before her while she could do nothing?

"Yes, she knows what we need," Madison breathed. "Please, help her."

"Very well," Lyons declared more ominously, "we'll sort this all out." He approached Madison, grasping her by the hand and around the shoulders, trying to lead her forward. The woman seemed to resist his guidance, and she turned to face Ana. She didn't look up right away, but she could feel the Doctor's pressing need to speak. With slow, heavy movements, Ana looked up to Madison through the darkness.

"I... I need to rest, lie down, or something. This is all just too much."

Ana nodded solemnly, looking out over the courtyard as the woman continued. "Rothchild should help you, but don't forget that he's Brotherhood. I've never trusted them. Be careful what you tell them."

Lyons seemed to look upon Madison with a weary and critical eye, but Ana returned a gaze of acknowledgment. Only an hour before, she had shoved the nose of her weapon in that woman's face. Who was she now? Who was she becoming? Ana feared at that moment that she would never meet the same Ana again. No one would. Part of her hated Doctor Madison Li, but the new part of her, the dark side that new the truth of life and existence, understood her, understood it all.

As Doctor Li was led away, Ana looked to the rest of the group. They trudged across the court yard passed her, barely giving her so much as a glance. They were tired, heartbroken, and defeated. Ana joined them, walking slowly with her heart and mind set low.

"Father, may I have a word with you?"

Ana looked up. Doctor Li had continued on down the courtyard, and Elder Lyons had paused in the middle of the path. Looking to the sound of the voice, Ana saw the familiar face of Sentinel Lyons, whom she had fought beside at the GNR complex. She still wore the same armour, but she looked a little cleaner, as if she had washed away the burden of battle. Ana watched the woman talk to her father.

"Certainly, Sarah, what's on your mind?"

"The scientists from Project Purity," she started in hushed tones, "why are they here?"

"Project Purity is lost."

By the little light that illuminated the court yard, Ana could see Sarah's face fall. She looked away from her father, eying a spot in the distance with intent.

"Please, do anything you can to help them," he urged, "and for God's sake, don't think of doing anything rash with the Pride until we discuss things in the morning."

"Yes, Fath—I mean, yes, sir."

As Elder Lyons walked away, following after the group of refugees towards the resting quarters, Ana approached Sentinel Lyons. Her eyes were hard on a spot in the distance, but she turned her head towards the sight of someone walking towards her, then offered a cocky smile.

"You just manage to get yourself into all sorts of trouble, don't you?" she jested as Ana came close. The young woman did not smile or frown in response; she was a blank slate, her face dirty with blood and tears. "Welcome to the Citadel; not many civilians get to see the place."

"Sarah," Ana said as a greeting, but her voice was hollow. The woman eyed her up and down, taking in her injuries, a queer expression plastered on her face. Her eyes shifted from calculating to shock, then to sympathy.

"Oh, kid, I'm sorry, I... I didn't know you were with them, I didn't know you had to go through that."

"I've been through a lot. I manage."

"Right," Lyons said skeptically, looking away. "Listen, if you need something... just come get me in the residential wing. Don't worry about the time, either; I'm used to getting up frequently."

This statement seemed to slide off of Ana. "Do you know where I can find Rothchild?"

"You don't want to see a medic first?" No reply. Lyons sighed, then pivoted and pointed towards a door at the far end of the courtyard. "You should find him in the lab. If he's not there, then he's likely gone to his quarters, in which case you'd have to wait for morning."

"Thanks."

"Ana? It's Ana, isn't it?"

"Andromeda."

"Andromeda... I'm sorry."

Ana walked past Sarah when she couldn't find the strength to reply. She strode evenly toward the door to which the Sentinel had pointed. There were various training stations set up in random parts of the court yard, all of which were empty. Training courses for endurance and agility were numerous, and Ana took note of them carefully. When she reached the opposite end of the courtyard, she followed the path that led slightly off to the right, towards the door that led to the labs.

The air was musty and smelt of iron and sweat. Ana followed the short steps down, which winded to the left and led her to the iron catwalk that overlooked the lab. Ana got a glimpse of the place with a quick once over, and felt her attention drawn to the center of the room. Iron pillars extended from beneath the ground towards the tall roof, stretching like a useful medical brace. Inside the small prison of iron was a tall structure, which Ana couldn't quite place. She moved across the catwalk towards the stairs, trying to get a good look at it. It was shaped like an iron human, except it was at least thirty feet tall and ten feet broad. Ana tried to peer around the iron bars to see more, but she could not from her vantage point. Ana saw an open area on the ground floor in front of the giant iron machine, and Ana walked down the stairs quickly, moving towards the spot to get a better look.

The thing was essentially a large armoured robot. It wasn't like the Mr. Handy or Protectron, but like a more devised engineered weapon. From the bottom of her eye, Ana saw a terminal's green screen flashing away at her, and Ana approached it, reading the screen.

_Welcome, Scribe Rothchild. Liberty Prime Operations:_

The Brotherhood of Steel had their own robot. With almost curious fingers, Ana selected the files on its information. Essentially, the Liberty Prime was manufactured before the war (using the same developer as Doctor Braun's Chinese Invasion Simulation program), and was designed to repel a communist attack by the Chinese in Alaska. Ana understood the gist of the reports, given she paid attention in history class, but she found the hole situation ludicrous. Continuing on, she learned that the robot was still functional, but it had an extremely limited power source. The machine was just simply too huge to operate for a long period of time before exhausting its resource supply. Basically, the "Liberty Prime" was the Brotherhood's trump card, and they were waiting for the right moment to use it. From the reports of the functioning processes, Ana saw that they were desperately trying to get it to function quickly.

"May I help you?" a man said from behind her. Ana stood and turned around, facing the source of the voice. He was similarly dressed in long red robes, but he was younger than Elder Lyons. He looked down at Ana with contempt, or so it seemed.

"Is Rothchild here?"

"You mean Scribe Rothchild?"

"Yes." Ana had no patience for his uptight attitude.

"I'm afraid he has retired for the night; you will have to wait for morning."

"Fine."

"You can stay in the barracks," the Scribe replied coolly, "it is in B-ring."

Ana left him behind, glancing up at the robot. Such technology they had. Would possessing it now do good, or create more evil?

Her injuries hurt, but she hadn't the time nor the caps to patch herself up. She'd decided a few hours rest would be enough to rest her wounds. The burn in her shoulder had stopped bleeding hours before, leaving only a patch of black and red on her left side. Ana wandered her way through the A-ring towards B-ring. Finally, she came across the barracks, and sat upon an empty bed, looking to the floor. The smell of food hit her nostrils, and she inhaled hungrily. She was absolutely _starving_.

"I thought I might meet you again," a man said from behind her, and Ana looked up to see a Knight circle around her and sit across from her on the empty bed. It was the Knight from the Washington Monument, the Knight who saved her life after she escaped the Museum of Technology. For the life of her, though, she could not smile, she could not happily greet him. In his hands he held a pot of food, with orange bits sitting inside. He followed her gaze, then handed the pot and spoon out to her. "Want some?"

"May I?"

"Be my guest. I can always make more."

"Thank you."

Ana took the pot, and carefully scooped out a clump of orange food. With quick movements, Ana shoved the food into her mouth, eating hungrily. Her apprehension of the odd colour and sight of the food would have put her off any other day, but she could not contain her hunger.

"What is this, anyway?"

"Blamco Mac and Cheese, at its finest," the Knight said, leaning back on the bed and watching her eat, "Even two hundred years can't kill that food."

"Not bad," she said, eating it up. It had an odd aftertaste to it, but the feeling of food hitting her stomach was enough to ignore it. She kept eating hungrily, forgetting to acknowledge the Knight's presence in front of her.

"Hey," the Knight said, leaning forward, "you came here with those run aways from the old Project Purity lab, didn't you?"

Ana lowered the spoon from her mouth, and looked upon her food guiltily. "Yes."

"Then James was your dad."

Ana didn't reply. Instead, she swallowed heavily, then looked away. "Whoa," he said, but the word was not insensitive, it was full of sympathy. "I can't even imagine... you know, I heard stories about those people, about James. He was practically a legend here. 'Course, I wasn't around when the Brotherhood worked with those scientists over there, but the stories got around. They still do."

She said nothing.

"What I'm trying to say is... I'm trying to say your dad was an amazing guy, and everyone will remember him. Be proud you're his daughter."

"I am."

"I know you are, but—just don't forget who you are just because he's gone, yeah?"

Ana stared at the macaroni in the pot, and nodded quietly.

"I got my revenge on this guy once," the Knight started, pulling a knife from his back belt. "It was in The Den here in the Citadel. I was an initiate back then, just some punk with a raving attitude. Anyway, I picked a fight with Paladin Artemis. Bad idea. I'm talkin' bad, _bad_ idea. To make a long story short, he gave me this—" the Knight pointed to his permanently shut left eye, running his finger over the scar. "Now, I know I was the jerk off who picked the fight, but Artemis had no fuckin' right to take my eye, _no_ fuckin' right. So, one night, I invited him to level it, but you know what he said?"

Ana caught the Knight's eye, waiting for him to answer.

"'We've both learned from our mistakes, and that makes this level ground'. Then, he gave me the knife that he sliced me with. I always found it weird, but a part of me understood him, and I never brought it up again. Instead, I kept the knife on me all the time, and it reminded me that there are no faults but our own, there are no debts but our hearts'. But for you," the Knight said, holding out the knife to her, "someone took your dad from you, and that's a mistake neither of you could benefit from. Go avenge and revenge, Ana. Take what's yours and give hell back."

Ana glanced over the knife, looking at it's menacing gleam in the dim light. It was plain and simple; it had a leather bound grip, and the blade stuck out from it at about seven inches tall, but it held a world of truth. Placing the pot aside, Ana took the knife from the Knight's hands, turning it over in the light. It was a good weapon, but a better reminder.

"It won't be helpful against the bad guys, by any means," the Knight added, standing. "But it'll help remind you.

"Looks like your shoulder was pretty banged up," he seemed to interrupt himself, feeling the uneasiness of emotion creep into the aura of the room. "You can go to the clinic up the hall, they'll patch you up for free, I'm sure. There are some functioning showers down the other way, too, and if you need any more food, the mess hall is open all night."

"Thank you," she said quietly. He stood from the bed across from her, and moved out of sight. Ana watched the gleam in the knife, and tilted it in such a way that she caught the reflection of the Knight leaving the room.

"I didn't get your name," Ana called quietly, making sure not to wake the rest of the Knights and Paladins, but she was too late. The door closed behind him as she uttered her words. Her eyes came back to the knife again. She could see her reflection in the blade. She was dirty, bloodied, and hollow looking. Ana was long gone, and some dirty stranger remained in her place.

She stood quietly, walking out of the room towards the clinic. Like the Knight had said, the medic at the clinic patched her up for free. "I got all the other minor injuries, too. You'll practically heal overnight, just try not to use that arm too much. You can shower with those bandages on, too; they're waterproof.

"Oh, and take these new clothes. Wouldn't help to have dirty rags resting on your wounds, now would it?"

"Thanks," Ana said as politely as she could, taking the bundle of clothing before departing for the showers. Following the signs, Ana found the restroom, and walked inside. There were sinks and mirrors lining the left wall, and toilets and showers lined the right. There was a large hand crafted sign nailed to the wall next to the showers. It read: _Don't use showers for longer than a couple minutes!_

Radiation or lack of water, she did not know the reason behind the sign, but she took note of it. Picking the nearest shower, Ana began to slip her Vault 112 suit off. It had already become as dirtied as her old Vault 101 suit was after a few days of travel out in the Wastes, and had become even more torn from battle. It hit the floor heavily, the soil making it slap against the ground thickly, as if it were soaked in water. Pushing it aside with her feet, Ana removed her underwear carefully, and placed it on top of the new clean clothes just outside the shower cubicle. Then she stepped inside, and turned on the tap.

The water was unbelievably cold, and Ana gasped and shook violently as the water punched her hard in the face and chest. She fought the urge to run out again, instead braving the freezing fall of water that splashed down on her. Her Pip-Boy began to tick slightly as the water splashed over it, and she made it a point to scrub off the dirt and blood from her body as soon as she could in order to escape the rads and the cold. Freezing _and_ irradiated; no wonder the Brotherhood were a bunch of foul smelling soldiers; they knew to steer clear of the showers.

After she had scrubbed herself vigorously, Ana shut off the tap quickly, shaking her head from side to side to get rid of the excess water that clung to her hair. Her skin shivered uncontrollably, and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm up her naked wet body. Minutes passed, and when her shivering died down, she stepped from the cubicle.

The washroom was empty, save for her, so Ana took the liberty of walking around the room naked to air dry. At first she started walking around in circles, holding her arms around herself and trying so hard not to think about anything, but it was inevitable. _He's gone...._

Suddenly, Ana found herself leaning against one of the sinks, looking into the cracked mirror. All she could see was him, staring back at her. _What have you become?_ he would have asked. _Why are you so ill hearted?_

Ana wished she could go back to the rotunda and tell him of her guilt, tell him that she hadn't followed in her father's admiral footsteps, that she couldn't. She threatened peoples lives, she killed some, she had done such horrible things to find him... people may have preached of her goodness and triumph, but no one saw the blood trailing behind her. Now, he would never know. She didn't even get the chance to say goodbye.

"_You have to know these things. I won't be around to hold your hand forever."_

_Oh, Dad. Where have you gone? Why did you leave me behind?_

Ana's eyes flinched shut, and she looked away from her reflection, breathing hard. The tears stung her eyes, but she fought them back. Slowly, the pain dissipated, but it was replaced by something else, something not so foreign to Ana. She had felt the same when she held Doctor Li at gunpoint. Ana looked back in her reflection, and realized that it was hate; hate for herself, hate for her fate. Ana looked over her appearance, deciding what she wanted to do.

She turned around and took the few short steps to her pile of clothing, swiping the knife in her hands. Ana then returned to the sink, staring at herself in the mirror. She was a fragile looking woman; her skin was ghostly pale, tinted by the wound in her left shoulder, and her jet black tresses fell into her eyes in such a feminine way. Raising the knife to her face, she clutched the front bangs of her hair, pulling it taught as she worked the knife through it, cutting them off. Ana grabbed another fistful, then another, then another, slicing it away, erasing the remnant of herself. When the majority of her hair had been cut away, Ana ran the blade over her scalp, scraping away the last of the uneven layer that remained. Within minutes, the last of Ana's short black hair lie in the sink, and her scalp was closely shaved. Ana turned on the tap to rinse off the bits of black hair from the knife briefly. By this time, her skin was completely dry, and she thankfully returned to the new clothes and began to put them on.

The clothes the doctor had provided her with consisted of a simple beige kangaroo jacket with fingerless leather gloves and white cargo pants. She reused her trusty black boots from Vault 101, for they were still durable, even after the week of rugged travel. After smoothing out the clothes on herself, Ana turned towards the door. Before she reached for the door handle, she paused to look back at herself one last time in the mirror. The young woman was completely changed; Ana was gone, and some dark and malign woman remained.


	10. Trouble on the Homefront

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

Chapter 10: Trouble on the Home Front

"Holy shit," the Enclave soldier said sourly, backing away from the open control room and shaking his head from side to side. "That room's hot."

"Radiation?" the superior officer asked.

"Yeah."

"Damn," he muttered. Two more soldiers entered the rotunda with another Enclave official and an eyebot, and started up the stairs towards their comrades.

"Sir," the two men said, standing against the wall.

"Evening," Autumn said, then looked to the open control room. He felt annoyed that the soldiers were merely standing outside the room instead of investigating it. His eyes looked to the floor. There were about three bodies he could see, but he knew there were more lying inside. Of the ones he could see, one was a man in a vault suit, one was an Enclave private, and the other was the Colonel. His brow furrowed at this—how did the late Colonel die with no apparent danger? "What seems to be the problem, men?"

"Lethal radiation, sir," the superior answered him, tilting his helmet towards the dead bodies, "we won't be able to get inside without dying."

Autumn gritted his teeth together, cursing under his breath. The eyebot floated past him, then adjusted its camera downward toward the scene. "_The man in the vault suit_?" the President asked through the small device.

"Leader of Project Purity."

The camera moved again, it's eye over the dead body of the Colonel, then it turned toward Autumn. "Looks like you just received a promotion, Colonel."

Autumn's eyes widened, and his jaw started to drop open. Quickly pulling himself together, he stood tall in front of the eyebot. "Thank you, Mister President."

"_See to it that Colonel Autumn receives his proper attire._" the President commanded, turning towards the soldiers. The two privates looked between each other, shifting on their feet, as if they were uncertain. "_Let me make it more simple for you; collect the bodies out of the control room and dispose of them, but not before you take the late colonel's jacket. Those are hard to come by, these days._"

"But, Mister President," one soldier spluttered, "the radiation in that room is lethal; we'd die the moment we stepped in."

"_Find a way then, private_," the eyebot relayed, "_and report to your superior officer for addressing me directly. That's the last I want to hear from you._"

"Mister President," the soldier said quickly, saluting the eyebot. It started to float by Autumn and the other soldiers again, and as it passed, the President said: "_congratulations, Autumn. Make me proud._"

Autumn stood to attention again, his mouth taut. He would do anything for his President, for his country. He would make Project Purity theirs.

* * *

Ana awoke in the morning to the sounds of the Knights rising from their bunks and donning their armour. She sat up and stood from the bed quickly, leaving all the soldiers to their morning routine. Taking a left just outside the door, Ana walked through the two large doors, making her way back to the lab.

She wasn't sure what time it was, but it had to be a reasonable morning hour; other Paladins and Scribes walked through the hallways, getting ready for their day. As Ana came to the lab, she made her way down the stairs again toward the ground floor. She found herself looking up at Liberty Prime again, trying to mentally calculate it's workings. It was perhaps her only original trait that remained in tact, her interest in mechanical systems.

Ana stood in front of the computer terminal again, which headed the robot. She wasn't sure how long she stood there before someone approached her, but as soon as he spoke, she knew he was the man she was looking for.

"May I start by saying I am sorry for your loss," the man said, coming up next to her. She kept looking up at the robot, not acknowledging him with sight, but listening to his words. Ana nodded once to his statement.

"I was acquainted with your father, many years ago. The world has lost one of its few remaining visionaries."

Ana only offered another nod, still studying the robot. Rothchild sighed beside her before continuing.

"Doctor Li has explained your predicament. You need to locate some Vault-Tec equipment?"

"A G.E.C.K.," she replied shortly.

"A G.E.C.K!" Rothchild said aloud, his tone slightly mocking. Ana took her eyes from the robot and let them fall on his face, studying him hard. He seemed to retreat from her, darting his eyes away and shifting uncomfortably. "The Brotherhood is not in possession of such a device," he added quietly. "There is, however, a way in which we may be able to ascertain the location of one."

"My father mentioned that," Ana said evenly, turning her eyes back to the robot.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to assist you directly; the news Doctor Li has brought us will require me to be elsewhere. I can, however, redirect access to an old pre-war computer from Vault-Tec. It may have the information you need."

"Then let's look at it quickly," Ana said, folding her arms in front of her, "the Enclave may already be there."

"Let me reroute the information to my terminal here," Rothchild said, leaning over the computer in front of them and entering a few commands. "Follow me," he stated, and began walking off.

Ana followed him around the lab floor to the far corner. A large projector stood against the wall, which displayed a map of the greater Washington area. She stood off to the side as Rothchild touched the screen and it came to life.

"This map shows the locations of all the known vaults in the Wasteland," he explained, motioning to each vault as it appeared on the map. A moving black cursor moved between each point. He then moved to the terminal that stood bolted to the wall next to the projector. Typing in a few commands, he read the information on the screen before him. "It looks like Vault 87 was the only one provided with a G.E.C.K. It's here," he said, pointing his finger on the small map marker, and Ana watched as the black cursor moved over it at Rothchild's touch.

"Entrance tot he Vault will be particularly difficult, for the entrance has been reported by Brotherhood Knights to have lethal levels of radiation. Direct access is quite impossible."

"Then there's another way in."

"You share your father's determination, it seems." Ana lowered her head slightly, affected by his words. "We're not entirely certain," Rothchild continued, observing the map with Ana, "but you may be able to take a route through the caves to the south. There's a small settlement run by children there, but if you can get access to the tunnels that the settlement is located in, then you may be able to find passage into Vault 87.

"The Brotherhood have never been able to spare the resources to investigate the area, so chances of success are uncertain, but it's worth a try. Otherwise, finding a G.E.C.K. may be out of the question. If you do find anything, please return here so that we may be able to conduct a plan of action."

"I'll be back in a day or two," Ana said, looking at the marker to the far west. With that, she turned on her heel, and started off.

"Ana," Rothchild said, stopping the young woman in her tracks. She turned to face him, her face unreadable. "I wish we could do more, but we face a very real threat from the Enclave at this moment. I'm sorry. I must divert my efforts into fighting off any threats they may pose to us."

"It doesn't change anything," Ana replied with a dead tone, "I was willing to trust you, to give you a chance. I understand you can't help me more. It'd be best not to make so many excuses, it would make you look less of a bastard."

"Ana," he stammered, but she walked away. She had no time to give to him. As much as she was hurting, as much as she felt changed and unfamiliar, Ana still knew she had to fight to finish her father's work, so she kept soldiering on. If anything, he was the last thread holding her in place, he was her last motivation to do good for the world, but it was barely there, it seemed. She tried to keep it close to her heart and mind, but it was hard to find amongst the anger and grief that clouded her.

As Ana walked out the lab doors, morning light greeted her. Men and women stood in the court yard practicing in the various obstacle courses, running and shooting. Ana strode by them all, and at the end, she caught the eyes of Lyons and the soldier from the Washington Monument. They eyed her up and down as she marched forward, and she averted her gaze forward. Lyons leaned over to the soldier and whispered something in his ear. Ana kept her gaze straight, but she could feel them seeing her, deciphering the meaning behind the loss of her hair.

"Ana," Lyons said, stepping forward. Ana darted her eyes over to where she stood, and she saw the other woman's eyes observing her bald head. "be careful."

Ana nodded to her, continuing on. The Lyons' Pride would have their fill with the preparation for war. Ana understood she was on an important mission, not only for them, but for herself. She walked by them swiftly, holding her head high.

"Her name's Ana, hey?" Winters asked Lyons.

"Andromeda."

Winters sighed, then chuckled slightly. "What is it?" Lyons asked him.

"I thought I'd never know her name," Winters replied, "I was prepared to refer to her as Miss Vault 101 my entire life; everyone else does."

"She's been through a lot."

"Yeah," Winters said, shaking his head slowly, sadly, "but she's tough, she'll be all right."

"I hope so," Lyons replied, looking at the doorway where Ana disappeared.

* * *

The afternoon was aging when Ana came near Megaton again. She rounded around the town, avoiding the line of sight of the gates. When Ana walked around the back, ensuring no one would see her, her Pip-Boy reacted to a radio signal, beeping continuously. Ana looked at her arm, and scrolled through her options to tune in to the frequency. Her brow furrowed as she listened to the message.

_THIS IS AN AUTOMATED DISTRESSMESSAGE FROM VAULT-TEC VAULT 101. MESSAGE BEGINS:_

_It feels like you left home a long time ago. I know you're still alive out there. I always knew you were the strong one, the one who could make it through anything. So please, if you can hear this, come home, come help us through this. Things fell apart once you left; my father went mad with power, and now we're divided. If you can, stop looking for your dad, and help me stop mine._

_I changed the password for the door to my name. If you still care about me, please come back. I'll be waiting for you._

_MESSAGE REPEATS..._

"Amata," Ana whispered under her breath. Her arm lowered, feeling too heavy to lift from her surprise. Her eyes searched through space as her mind raced. She had to go to Vault 87, but she could not leave Amata behind. Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she fought against her priorities.

"Dammit, Amata," she growled, then started off at a run toward the tall rocky hill just to the north. She moved her hand to turn off the radio signal on her Pip-Boy. Within twenty minutes, she stood before the familiar shack door, the first one she had ever encountered that separated her from the outside world. With hesitant hands, Ana grasped the door handle, and pulled it open.

The darkness enveloped her like a familiar and unwelcome blanket. Ana leaned against the door quietly for a moment, waiting for her eyes to adjust properly. When she could sufficiently see, she walked down the path, her eyes focusing in on the huge Vault door. She reached the end of the hallway, and she stepped in front of the control pod panel, entering Amata's name on the keyboard. Her hand hovered over _RETURN_ hesitantly for a moment, until she forced her finger down on the button. The alarm and the light began to come to life again, and Ana stepped in front of the Vault door as it prepared to open itself, drawing her laser rifle for protection. She was cautious about her hands on the gun; she was a different person now, and she worried herself as to how she could control her feelings of inapplicable vendetta. Her fingers clenched the rifle as the huge door was pulled backwards and rolled to the side. When the path was laid clear for her, Ana walked in slowly, holding her rifle at the ready.

It was silent. A sign was posted at the front of the door, and Ana read it over, feeling anger and hate boil within her stomach.

_NOTICE: Exit prohibited by Overseer. Strictly enforced._

Ana tore her eyes away, scanning the room. Two road blockers were placed in front of the stairs leading from the Vault's main door to its inside. Apparently, there was a problem with people trying to escape the Vault. Ana stressed on the word "escape". The Overseer was holding them all there against their will.

As Ana stepped up the stairs cautiously, her eyes fell upon a body to her left. Jim Wilkins lay dead by the control panel that activated the door, bullet holes adorning his body. Lethal force for those who tried to escape the Vault. It made Ana ferocious.

Failing to keep her emotions in check, Ana approached the door behind her, wrenching the handle forward and unlocking the door. Giving it a swift kick, it swung open, and she held her rifle high. She saw a body standing to the left, and she aimed at it, nearly prepared to shoot.

"Stop right there," he yelled through his security mask, "I don't know how you got in here, but..."

Ana forced her finger away from the trigger, and raised her head to look at the security officer. It was Officer Gomez.

"Wait a minute... Ana? Is that you?" She nodded once. "Holy cow! I hardly recognized you with all the dust and grime from out there! And your hair! Ana, what did you do to your hair?"

She contemplated him in silence, not offering an asnwer.

"Never mind. Guess that explains how you got that door open. You've got more experience with it than most everyone down here combined." His tone was harsh.

"I received a message from Amata, I need to see her."

"A message from Amata?" He looked at Ana quizzically. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I'd keep that under your hat, for her sake."

Her eyes narrowed. "What's going on?" she demanded.

"She can get in real trouble if people found out she sent you a message," Gomez continued, shaking his baton at her a little. "So could I, just for talking with you now."

"What trouble, Gomez?"

"Let me bring you up to speed," Gomez offered, throwing a glance behind him quickly, "it seems like it's been a mighty long time. The day you and your dad left, everything went crazy. Between the bugs and the confusion, we lost a lot of people. When your dad opened up that gate, he let loose a whole lot of—" he hesitated, "—crap, if you'll pardon my language."

"I'm sorry to hear that." S_o would he be, if he could hear it now._

"Well, after that, a lot of folks started thinking he had the right idea: leave the Vault. He usually does have the right idea, anyway. So if it was safe out there, why stay down here forever?

"The Overseer didn't like that one bit, and started cracking down on that sort of thought. Guess he didn't plan on you coming back. I ought to probably put you under arrest and take you in to see him, but frankly, I know better than to try that.

"Anyway, some of your old friends think opening the Vault is a good idea. I bet those rebels would like a word with you, now more than ever. Of course, if you want, you could just walk away as if you were never here. I've always liked you, so I wouldn't even tell people I saw you."

"Thank you, Gomez."

"...So, what does that mean?"

"Excuse me."

Ana brisked past him, walking towards the inner hallways of the Vault. "Well, okay," he called after her, "just be careful down here. The Vault's changed, I tell you."

She thought that was the end of it, but he called after her. "By the way, did you find your dad?"

Ana made her way through the door that led down to the atrium level without replying. She figured if it was anywhere these "rebels" holed themselves up, it was the lower levels of the atrium, farthest away from the Overseer as possible. Ana stepped over an old lawnmower that laid on its side in the hallway, and kicked around some papers that were scattered on the floor. Compared to Vault 112, this place looked like it had been ransacked and pillaged. Ana kept going, holding her rifle tight.

"You know I can't do that, Freddie," a voice said at the end of the hallway as soon as she walked through the door. "Now, get back down below before I have to do something we'll both regret!" It was Officer Taylor's voice.

"What?" Freddie replied, "you gonna lock me up like you did to Brotch? You can't cage a Tunnel Snake, man, 'cause we _rule!_"

Ana stepped into the upper atrium level, and looked out over the room. Officer Taylor was nearest to her, standing behind an overturned table. Freddie stood at the near end of the hall, his feet placed threateningly and his fists balled with anger. Ana looked upon the situation with hard eyes, her mouth taught with caution.

"Stay back!" Officer Taylor shouted as Freddie drew something from his back pocket. The old man lifted his ten millimeter, and fired at the rebel. The bullet chipped away at the wall next to Freddie's head, and the young man flinched, ducking back through the doorway towards the stairs. Taylor continued to fire with fear, and Ana grasped his shoulder thickly, turning him around.

"Y-you, it's you!" the old man stammered as Ana held him forcefully by the shoulders, pressing him up against the table. "Don't you know enough to stay away?"

"What's going on down here?" Ana questioned harshly, "tell me about the rebels."

A trace of fear seemed to cross his face at the fierceness of Ana's disposition, and he continued reluctantly after a pause. "I never know when they're gonna try something dangerous. I lost my poor wife, Agnes, in the chaos and fighting; her heart just gave out."

Ana released his shoulders gruffly, mumbling "I'm sorry," as she walked around the table towards the lower stairs. So, anarchy had taken hold of the Vault since her departure. It hadn't been more than a week, but things fell apart regardless. In a way, Ana wasn't surprised; she had learned from experience that a person could consider themselves good and honourable, but if thrown to the gates of hell, they would lose their soft outer shell of logic and personality quickly.

"You should have never come back," Officer Taylor wailed after her. She half expected him to shoot, but he didn't.

Ana entered through the door towards the lower level quietly, keeping her footing precise and her aim careful. Her finger hovered over the trigger, waiting for a hostile target to leap forward. As she came to the bottom, she sidestepped around an old tricycle, then slapped the door button across from her harshly. When the door slid open, she found herself standing in the old cafeteria. A cigarette sat smoking in the ashtray on the table, and Ana held her rifle closer, knowing someone would be nearby.

Ana turned right out of the other end of the cafeteria, and approached the set of stairs near the end. Her guard slipped slightly without her noticing, and she prodded up the stairs in a relatively careless fashion. When she reached the top, she turned right with the hall, coming face to face with Butch.

"Fuck me!" Butch yelled, swiping a small hand held pipe at her, while Ana darted backwards to dodge the attack and aimed her rifle between his eyes. They stood there for a moment in defensive positions, until Butch noticeably relaxed.

"That's you, Pipsqueak?" the greaser asked disbelievingly, peering through the dark at her. Ana could see his confused stare shift into a cocky grin, and her lifetime hate of Butch Deloria came flooding back. "Well, damn, look who's come waltzing back into the Vault. It takes some real balls comin' back here after everything you and your dad screwed up. But I guess it's a good thing you decided to show yourself around here. We need some help."

"What makes you think I came back to help you, Butch?" Ana retorted in a low even voice.

"You're the class goodie-two shoes, and you get off in helping people in trouble, simple as that. You helped me save my mom, and we fuckin' hate each other!" Butch exclaimed, standing tall and waving the pipe casually between himself and Ana, who still had her gun aimed at him. "Anyway, your old man had the right idea! I can't stand it down here anymore, you gotta help me get out! Down here, I'll be stuck with the same job, same food, and same people for the rest of my life. Anything up there has got to be better than a life down here!"

"That's right, you're a hairdresser." Ana almost sneered.

"I'm a barber, a'right, you lousy bitch!"

"What makes you think outside will be any better?" she asked, ignoring his last statement and finally lowering her rifle, "what do you think you're going to do in the Wasteland?"

"I'll start a gang, of course! It'll be the bad ass-est gang the Wasteland's ever seen! Hey, play your cards right and I might even let you join, huh?"

"I've heard enough," Ana asserted harshly, "where's Amata?"

"Ah, Christ," he mumbled, defeated. "She's in the med lab with the others. Now fuck off."

Ana swifted past him, and made her way into the clinic around the corner. Her footsteps were quick, and she put her rifle onto her back. She would see her best friend again; Amata would be waiting around that doorway. Ana might have felt excited at this in the past, but it was subdued somehow.

Ana came through the doors quickly, and three women huddled close together in the middle of the disheveled room looked up at her. All Ana could make out were their silhouettes, but closest to her was Amata.

The girl turned and ran up to her, hesitating twice on the way. Of course Ana did not look familiar; not only was she dirty and bald, but perhaps her life-altering experiences had made her soft and welcoming face become intimidating and hard. As Amata drew closer, however, a breath stumbled from her lips in relief before she threw her arms around Ana.

"Oh my God, you're back, Ana!" she said in exasperation. Ana closed her eyes and returned the hug. It was good to hear her voice again. "You got my message and actually came back!"

"Of course I did," Ana said quietly into Amata's shoulder.

"Thank you," her friend shuddered, pulling back. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. This caught Ana off guard, for Amata never cried. Perhaps she had felt nearly as much pain as she because of her father. Amata had experienced murder first hand; maybe now she was broken like Ana. "Oh, Ana, what did you do to your hair?" she sighed, running her hands over Ana's bald head. When Ana remained silent, Amata continued, pulling her hands away. "Everything's gone crazy since you left, and now that you're back, you can help set things straight."

"I'm sorry, Amata," Ana said, lowering her gaze to the floor. "I had no idea that this is what would have happened."

"I just wish we could have saved more people... Jonas, and the Hannons; so many people died in that fight. It was bad enough that they died because my father was trying to keep the door closed, but then I found out it was all to protect a lie! The Vault wasn't always closed; they've lied to us about it our entire lives!"

"I know," Ana muttered.

"What?" Amata said, stepping back. "How long did you know about this?"

"After I left, I found out everything." _I wasn't born here, nor was my dad. Now, we're both dead._

Amata was visibly annoyed. "Never mind, then. What's important is that now we know we were lied to, and people died for that lie. Even now, when we most need help, the Overseer still won't let us try to communicate with the outside!"

"Amata," Ana began, trying to explain that the outside wasn't as wonderful as it seemed. She had disagreed with her father's words in the beginning when he had said: "Life in the Vault isn't perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than a life out there", but now that she had experienced it....

"We can't stay here," Amata retorted, sensing Ana's attempt at a rebuttal. "Are you honestly going to compare life on the outside to 'stay in an underground bunker your entire life or I'll kill you'? Obviously, I don't know what's out there, but it couldn't hurt to take a look, right?"

_Yes,_ Ana thought, _it really would. _"There are other survivors out there, yes."

"—And all that time," Amata said quietly, yet fervently, "we've been living in a tiny world that's been falling apart for two hundred years. If we don't take a chance out there, then we're just going to die down here.

"...But we can't leave while my father's got the place locked down. Please, something has to be done; you know that better than anyone."

"I do."

"Please, just talk to him, try to sort this out."

"I will."

"Just... don't do anything rash or hurt him, all right?"

Looking at Amata one last time, Ana turned from the room and headed for the stairs to the Overseer's office.

The walk through the upper atrium level was horribly nostalgic; she could recall every moment she experienced as she escaped from the Vault, seeing the Radroaches and the battles. As she came through the control room again, she rounded the corner and came face to face with another person. Ana whipped her rifle from her back, holding it with deadly aim at her opponent. It was a security guard. It was Officer Wilkins.

"You never should have left, kid. Now, we'll make sure nobody ever leaves again."

"Officer Wilkins," Ana started, "your son, I—"

Quickly—too quick for Ana—Wilkins fired a bullet into her left forearm. Ana called out in pain, then ducked to the left, rolling behind the cover of a control panel. Righting herself and her aim, Ana held the gun just before the edge of the machinery, waiting for the security guard's head to appear. He suddenly jumped around the corner, and with one shot, she blew his head clear off, the rest of his body disintegrating into a pile of dust.

Ana got to her feet slowly. She might have felt pity for the man before, but she felt nothing as she looked upon his remains. Ana kicked around the dust pile, looking for anything useful. She found a stimpak and a piece of slightly burnt paper, with the word _Stockholm_ scrawled across it. Ana shoved the note in the front pouch of her hoodie, then carefully used the stimpak on her wound. She hissed as the needle intruded her skin, and sped up the healing process exponentially. Her grunts came quietly and briefly as her skin pushed the bullet out and healed completely. There was a tear in her jacket where the bullet had been, but Ana wasn't bothered by it. In comparison, the tear was nothing compared to her old tattered Vault suit.

Ana continued on through the control room and down the hall. To the side, she could see the security office, and she reloaded her rifle as she approached slowly. No one was inside, but she entered anyway, trying to see if there were any supplies that could be used. When she came up to the desk and searched through the door, she caught a figure in her peripherals, and she looked up through the security cell window. Mr. Brotch sat on the bed, his head hung toward the ground. Ana stared at him for a minute, trying to process things. That's right, she had heard Freddie say Mr. Brotch was locked up. _Stockholm_... was that the security password?

Ana sat at the terminal on the desk, and typed the word quickly. After she was granted access, Ana unlocked the door from the command, and heard the bolts in the cell _click_ open. Mr. Brotch looked wearily to the door, not seeing Ana. Feeling sad at his sight, Ana then stood and walked across to the door, opening in swiftly. Once the door had slid away, Mr. Brotch laid eyes on Ana, and his entire face fell.

"I never thought you'd be back."

"Nor did I," Ana replied.

"It's been a while, kid." Mr. Brotch shook her hand. "Guess the G.O.A.T. couldn't have predicted how you'd turn out, could it? Remind me to add a question about rescuing your teacher from the Vault jail. If the Vault ever goes back to normal, that is...."

"Mr. Brotch," Ana started dully. If she were herself still, she would have spoke with more urgency. "the rebels, what are they rebelling _for_?"

"They're against the Overseer's minions," Brotch replied bitterly. "Most of the rebels are just kids caught up in seeing the world, but I know we have to open the Vault if we actually want to survive, otherwise we'll just dwindle away down here until it's too late."

Ana wanted to deny it, but she knew he was right. They couldn't all stay peacefully in the Vault, not after what she and her father had done. Never did she want Amata or the others to live the horrors of the outside world, but neither did she want them to await their ill fate inside the confines of the Vault. Ana nodded in agreement with Brotch, knowing what she had to do. She turned from him, left the security office, and went to the end of the hall, entering the offices. At the very back was the door to the Overseer's office, and it was open.

Ana stepped in silently, her hard face burning holes into the back of Amata's father, the Overseer. He stood on the far adjacent wall from her, looking out through his large round window that gave a view of the atrium level. If he had been there the entire time, he would know that she was coming.

"Well," he said, turning around slowly to face her, "I see you've returned."

Ana stepped forward, balling her fists as she came forth. The Overseer made no movements towards her or away from her, he simply folded his hands behind his back. "Done with the dust and ruins of the Wasteland, are you? Given up looking for daddy? Thought you could just slink back in like a teen missing curfew? Well, that's too bad. You have no future in this Vault, you're tainted."

Ana ignored his attempts to insult her, and she cocked her head slightly sideways, as if to appear curious. "How do you expect the future of this Vault to play out?"

"By locking down this Vault, I am protecting its future," he said, holding his head high. "In fact, I was protecting its future when I had to make those unpleasant choices the night you and your father abandoned us. I only wish I could have stopped your father before he left. If anyone's to blame for the unpleasantness, it's him."

"Do you have any idea why my father left the Vault in the first place?" she asked coolly; too coolly. It was almost a threat, the way she sounded so calm.

"I've spent many nights asking myself exactly that. He certainly didn't tell me before he left. I blame myself, really. I should have known better than to let him enter our home in the first place. He certainly showed his true colours in the end. Were he raised in the cleanliness of our Vault, perhaps your father would have shown more dedication to the important things in life.

"Just as well that he left. We mustn't let humanity's last pure specimens be sullied with his type."

"My father has nothing to do with this now," Ana said, fighting to keep her voice from raising; that would have shown him he was winning.

"I wonder, did he leave you behind to know that you were someplace safe?" the Overseer prodded, folding his arms in front of him, "Hm. Like a fool, you squandered the greatest gift he ever left you."

"And what of your gift?" Ana questioned, "the world works best on a balance, and you have far outweighed duty over love. Your daughter is now your enemy because you have put the good of the Vault before her, but you have failed to realize the good of the Vault _is_ your daughter, not protection from the outside."

"What makes you think you know better of these matters?"

"You're not protecting your people, you're destroying them," Ana said bitterly, "can't you see that?"

"I'm afraid you're the short sighted one, here. I'm simply keeping them safe and untouched by the war above. The real danger are the rebels and insurgents who insist on risking all of our lives just to die out there in the Wastes. If they weren't trying to throw our lives away like that, we could go back to the peaceful life we once had. Everyone would be happy again."

"You can't go back," Ana replied with a low voice, feeling a sense of déjà vu to her father's words. _Even if you could, would you want to?_

"I had to lie to them to keep them from going outside and getting killed; to keep them from making the same mistake our generation did when we were their age! Some of us already lost loved ones out there long ago. We won't lose anymore today."

"I understand that statement more than anyone," Ana replied in a voice so flat, it was saddening just to hear it, "but I have lost Jonas here, and I will lose Amata to you if you don't stop. She's all I have left; she's all you have left."

"You're right. If you were more perceptive, however, you would realize the only reason you lost them was because of you and your father. You two posed a danger to the entire Vault, and therefore, everyone had to suffer. It was unfortunate that I had to call for your friend's death, but it was necessary. And now you've returned, Ana, and more people will die if I don't stop you now."

"The damage has been done," Ana growled, letting her anger run wild. It was true, but it was a lie to herself; the damage had been done, alright, and she still wanted revenge for it. "There's no need for more violence."

"Hold your tongue, girl! I should have seen through you long ago. I never expelled you or your father from the Vault in order to keep the delicate balance of harmony intact. Since you have long destroyed that balance, I will end this now. Your presence only brings more chaos, I must ask you to leave once again. Follow your father, and stay there."

"My father is dead."

"Then hell is a fitting place, is it not?"

Several things happened at that moment that Ana wished she could have prevented. It's odd how one week could change a person, how five seconds could destroy one. With a blinding fit of fury, Ana's face contorted into rage as she swiped her fist into the Overseer's jaw. He stumbled backwards into the thick window, clutching his chin and fighting to regain his footing. Angry eyes met Ana's for only a mere second before his free hand drew a pistol from its holster. She didn't know how, but she was faster. As his fingers brushed the top of his ten millimeter, Ana tore her rifle from her back, shooting the Overseer square in the face. There was little blood and no show of gore as the Overseer's body struck the window behind him before slumping dead to the ground.

Ana's gun stayed aimed on the corpse for several moments, her shoulders rising and falling with her breaths. Seconds passed, and the gravity of what she had just done began to sink in. She had shot the Overseer. She had killed Amata's father.

Her arms lowered slowly until she hung the gun at her side. His eyes were closed, but his body was hunched against the window as if he were simply sleeping there. When her breathing slowed, she dropped the rifle on the ground, and slumped to the floor, staring into space.

Ana had lost her father, and it had torn her up. In a week, she had become a tyrant, a murderer, and a stranger to herself. Through her experiences, she had believed she was the only one who could understand herself. Hadn't Amata been through enough, already? Did Ana have to take away from her the only thing she had left in this world? She had preached to the Overseer that his daughter was his only gift, but Amata was hers as well. With little effort, Ana had taken that away from herself.

Roughly half an hour had passed before Ana stood and returned to the clinic. As she walked through the door, she looked up into Amata's waiting eyes, seeing hope glimmer in them.

"Well?" she asked, "It took you quite a while. What did you say? What happened?"

"Amata, I... we...."

"Ana?"

Mr. Brotch ran in behind Ana, and the pair of them looked towards him. His eyes immediately fell on Ana, and his face seemed to fall as he shook his head ever so slightly. "What have you done?"

"Ana?" Her voice was more panicked.

"He's dead," Ana said quietly, "the Overseer is dead."

The retreat of whatever happiness was left in Amata was evident on her face. Every feature seemed to slacken, her shoulders slumped, her head turned down; even the glimmer in her eyes seemed to instantaneously dull.

"What did you do?" Brotch blamed incredulously.

Ana turned away, looking to the other faces in the medical office. Their faces were ones of judgment and distaste. Ana found she could bear their faces more than Amata's. Her head dropped to the ground like Amata's, and she stood uncomfortably in the silence.

"I'm so sorry, Amata."

"I—my... he...."

"Amata," Mr. Brotch said, "I know this must be hard for you, and this might not be the right time," he shifted on his feet, seeming apprehensive, "but we need a leader."

Suddenly, Amata's balled fists pounded once against Ana's chest without looking up. Ana grabbed her wrists, but she didn't pull them away. She squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. Amata suddenly pulled her fists away, then turned from Ana. They were looking away from each other, but Ana could still see her friend's face filled with rage.

"You saved us," Amata said with a thin, fiery voice, "but that doesn't change the fact that you killed him."

"Amata—"

"Get out of here."

There was a certain silence in the room that felt like it was literally eating Ana alive. The pain of her words was so much that she couldn't react to them right away; she stood dumbfounded on the spot, looking upon her grieving friend.

"Get out," Amata said a little louder, her voice quivering as she turned her angry face to Ana, "and never come back here."

They would have been childish words that meant nothing, but the hate and agony behind them rang true in Ana's ears. Her last friend had been lost; she was now alone in the world.

When no one moved, Amata stalked from the room past Mr. Brotch. Ana stood on the spot, looking to where Amata's flaring eyes had just been.

"Go after your father," Mr. Brotch said after a moment, "wherever he is is the only place you belong now."

Ana looked to her shoes, and said nothing. Then she turned from the lab, and headed back down the hall for the exit, her eyes trained on her feet. The walls were thick and impermeable, but Ana could still hear Amata's agonizing screams of anger and sadness from two floors above. Or, at least, a scream was ringing throughout her mind.

"_Just... don't do anything rash or hurt him, all right?"_

As Ana walked to the large Vault door, she heard no one come after her, or call out. It was silent. She hoped the Vault would be safer for everyone, safer for Amata. No matter how she justified it, though, Ana knew she had taken what was left of Amata and tore it into thousands of little pieces. Neither Ana or Amata would be the same person ever again; their lives were over the day James left the Vault.

As Ana walked through the cave towards the shack door that led to the outside world, she could hear the wind howling. It sounded menacing, as if death awaited her on the other side. _"Wherever he is is the only place you belong now."_ Ana reached for the door handle, when the familiar sound of the alarm sounded in her ears. Ana looked back to see the door prepare itself to shut. Perhaps they had changed their mind about wanting to go out into the world, or perhaps they wanted to ensure Ana would never return.

With one last saddened look, Ana left her last home behind, and headed back into the wastes, feeling more alone and lost than ever.


	11. Picking up the Trail

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_Sorry for anyone who was waiting impatiently by their computer for my update yesterday. I doubt anyone actually was impatient about it, but you know... I like to pretend._

Chapter 11: Picking Up the Trail

"_We interrupt our regularly programmed schedule for some news!_

"_Good golly Holly. This is the worst thing to happen to our neighbourhood since the H.O.A. instituted their mandatory scavenged rags dress code. From Rivet City to downtown D.C., the Enclave is on the scene and settin' up shop. Children, I don't care if you've ignored every other word that's come outta my mouth for the past five years; please, hear me now, and believe the Enclave, and that includes their homecoming king, President John Henry Eden, and his geurilla, Colonel Augustus Autumn, are _not_ here to help you. Wake _up_ children! The Enclave have a giant truck full of Brahmin, and they've been spoon-feeding ya the bullshit. These guys are schemers, crooks, and killers, and the sooner you all realize that and stand up to their oppression, the better. That, my friends, is fighting the Good Fight._

"_Thanks for listening chil—dren! This is Three Dog—Awoooh!—and you're listening to Galaxy News Radio: Bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts."_

Ana was walking across a great barren field, where black deadened trees protruded from the muted grey and beige earth, when she suddenly stumbled forward onto her hands and knees. With a few weak heaves, she puked up whatever was left inside her belly, blood and stomach acid flowing out her mouth as Three Dog's transmission played from her Pip-Boy. She coughed up the remainder of the foulness in her mouth, then wiped it off with the back of her hand. Ana coughed a little more, blood spattering over the ground. Her radiation levels had increased, and she was ill. After her breathing had returned to normal and she no longer felt sick, Ana got to her feet again, and continued through the Wastes.

The dawn was just basking over the landscape when Ana came across the road. Just over the other side of it she would find Little Lamplight, and she would find her way into Vault 87. As she crossed the road and wandered down the valley, she could see a small decrepit shack leaning against a small rock formation. When she took a broader look, she could see there was a yard decorated beside the little mountain; fake paradise-like trees stood tall around the area, with party banners linked in between. A tall watchtower stood to the side of that, but otherwise, the there was no other suggestion of a town. When she got closer to the shack, however, she saw a cave opening embedded in the rock just beyond the shack's walls. Holiday lights were hung from the top of the cave, and they drooped low in front of the entrance. Ana gave a queer look to the sight. Fake trees, decorations—what kind of town was this?

Ana entered the darkened cave, studying the door to the caverns as she approached. It was similar to the door built between the Wasteland and Vault 101's entrance. A chain link fence with barbed wire surrounded the top of the door. She took note of the warding off effect the defence tried to provide before entering.

The cave was steep and haunting, and if it weren't for the lamp stands and the holiday lights that lined the path, it would have been a terrifying enclosure. Ana sidestepped down the steep slope, and as soon as she rounded the corner at the bottom, the warm, welcoming white light was replaced with a darker, more warding one. The string of lights still ran above on the ceiling, and they led directly to a wide open cavern. Furniture and old appliances were scattered along the cave walls, including a small round dining table and an overturned bathtub. The place appeared to be like every abandoned ruin in the Wasteland, until she heard a voice call her down. Instead of drawing her gun, Ana's face furrowed in confusion. The voice that called to her was a child's.

"Hold it right there, lady!" Ana looked up above the tall iron grate fence to see a boy staring her down with a gun in his small fists. His appearance stimulated the same immediate reaction from Ana as did Lucas Simm's sheriff regalia; the boy donned a safari hat and scarf, making him appear like a small British Imperialist from the history textbooks. Despite Ana's recent grim nature and attitude, she had to stifle a laugh. "Don't take another step, or we'll blow your fuckin' head off."

Ana had never heard a child speak in such a way, but she still wasn't caught off guard. Regardless, she complied. Folding her arms, she spoke: "I'm just passing through."

"You're big, which makes you a mungo." A mungo? What the hell was that? "You better just go out the way you came in."

"I need access to Vault 87," Ana replied, motioning with a hand beyond the boy's gate and down the cavern, "do you know the way?"

The boy made a face, his eyes shifting from aggressive to frightened. "You don't wanna go there. That's where the monsters are."

"Monsters?"

"The _big_ ones," the boy replied, lowering his gun and swooping it slightly in an expression of anxiousness. "You know, the ones that look like humans, but are kinda all messed up?"

"super mutants," Ana muttered to herself, touching her chin gingerly in thought. "So," she began again, "do you know the way to get there?"

"Yeah, I do," the boy retorted, his offensive side reviving, "but it's through Little Lamplight, and you're not getting into Little Lamplight. Guess you'd better find some other way, mungo."

"All right," Ana said with an aggravated sigh, her hands landing on her hips, "is there an adult I can speak to?"

"Hey, I _run_ Little Lamplight. I'm Mayor MacCready, and I don't like strangers, or mungos, either."

As Ana began to piece together his definition of "mungo", she touched her forefinger and thumb to the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes gently in frustration. "This entire town is entirely composed of children?" she mumbled to herself in disbelief.

"Either speak up, mungo, or get the fuck out."

"Alright," Ana said, looking up at MacCready and replacing her hands on her hips, "everyone has a price, what's yours?"

"Hell, no! I'm not playing that with you!" MacCready retorted, waving his rifle at Ana, "no mungos allowed!"

"Oh my God," Ana muttered, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. Her hands came over her bald head again, like she was running them through hair that no longer existed. ?The boy shifted on the stand.

"What's that?" he questioned. Ana looked up, seeing the boy point her down with the gun.

"Excuse me?"

"On your arm," he repeated, jabbing the assault rifle in the air, "what's that box thing?"

Ana looked to her Pip-Boy, then back up at the MacCready. "It's my personal computer," she said, holding it up for him to see the green screen, "it's a Pip-Boy."

He glared her down for a moment, then mumbled something inaudible to himself. Ana was about to ask him what he'd said, when he called out, "all right, why don't you come in? I think Knick Knack might want to take a look at that. Besides, we're kicking Sticky out."

Ana's brow furrowed, but MacCready flipped a switch to his right out of Ana's view, and several bolts on the broad gate in front of her whipped to the side, and the door slid up and open for her. Of course, the gate only opened to about half her height, being it was a gate built for pint-sized humans, but Ana ducked through it without complaint, waving to the mayor of the town as he climbed down from his post behind the gate. "Thanks."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I've got my eye on you, pal."

There was a cry of despair to her right, and Ana averted her gaze to the scene. The wail wasn't that of a child, but an adolescent boy. Ana looked upon a group of four children surrounding a teenage boy who wore a party hat.

"This is the worst day of my life!" the young man called, smacking his forehead with his hand. From the corner of her eye, Ana could see MacCready rolling his eyes and loading his rifle.

"It's time to go, Sticky," a girl said, quite unsympathetically. The other two children seemed to make sounds of agreement. "You know the rules."

The boy named Sticky gave them a pleading glance. "The rules are stupid!" he defended.

"You're a mungo now, you gotta leave." Ana felt a small slither of empathy flutter through her mind.

"Maybe I can stay, just a little longer?"

"Aw, come on, get out!" MacCready said, shoving the butt end of his rifle into Sticky's stomach. The boy leaned over and _oomph_'d as MacCready took him by the collar and started dragging him to the gate. "You'll find Big Town directly west of here; they'll welcome you with open arms." Somehow, MacCready's tone of voice told Ana differently.

"Bye, Sticky," one of the girls called, waving at his back as MacCready dragged him away. That's when all the children caught sight of Ana for the first time, and all of them reacted unpleasantly, their small faces turning upwards in anger.

"Hey, what's that mungo doing in here?" one of the girls cried, pointing to Ana. In return, Ana made no comment or facial expression, but simply looked upon them all, whilst folding her arms in front of her. They may have been kids, but they had a dangerous air about them.

"Relax, she's got that funky tool we could look at on her arm," MacCready said, waving a hand of dismissal in front of his face as he climbed back up his platform to shut the gate. Ana looked to her left to see poor Sticky standing with his tail between his legs, looking longingly into the confounds of Little Lamplight. She gave him a sad face before the gates closed in front of him, with one last whine of defeat from his throat.

"Well, if MacCready let you in, that's good enough for me," one of the boys in the group said. He wore a policeman's hat on his head, with a dirty boy scout's outfit. "So, let's see this tool, mungo."

Ana appeared to glare him down, but she didn't reply to him. She held out her arm, and the group of children who had ostracized Sticky clambered forward, looking at her Pip-Boy with wide eyes.

"Holy _shit_," the boy with the policeman's hat exclaimed. MacCready laughed as he approached.

"I thought you'd be interested in seeing that, Knick Knack."

The boy looked up at Ana, excitement dancing in his eyes. "Do you mind if I take a look at this?"

"Yeah, me too!" a few of the kids chorused.

Ana simply wanted to get a move on through Vault 87, but she knew she was walking on thin ice with these kids. If she had any chance o f getting through peacefully, she had to oblige them. "Sure," she said after a moment's consideration, "but they don't come off. I'll have to sit with you, if you don't mind."

"Agh," Knick Knack growled, waving his hand through the air, "I guess that'll do."

"Let's go back to your store," one kid with a top hat exclaimed. There was a pair of old glasses sitting on top of his head, and they jiggled with his movements, "we can play with it there!"

"It's not a toy," Ana warned, pulling her arm back a bit, "it's as every bit a part of me as my arm is."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," the kid retorted, and the two of them started to drag her deeper into the tunnels. She wasn't impartial to the company of children; in fact, she hadn't encountered any children since her and her peers grew up. That being said, these weren't ordinary children—they were struggling to survive in a dangerous world, and they were pushed to the limits of their maturity.

All of the kids crowded around her as they brought her to Knick Knack's store, shooting questions to each other and her as they went. She didn't answer them, partly because she couldn't differentiate between one voice from the next, and partly because she felt trapped. Not by the children herding her down the tunnels, but by her own despair. All she wanted to do was travel alone, perhaps kill some super mutants waiting ahead in the caves, away from other people. She knew it wouldn't do anything to lighten the weight she was carrying, but she felt very uneasy in the presence of others, especially these children. Ana decided she would hold her breath and wait, and eventually she could continue on her mission.

The kids spent twenty minutes pressing buttons and flipping switches and wheels on her Pip-Boy, while Ana gave them instruction. "No, no, don't press that... yes, that button... when you select those options, it activates the scanner..." she decided that talking with the kids wasn't that bad after all, but she was still eager to leave the place behind. It reminded her that even children couldn't be children anymore, that all hope was gone from the world for everyone, not just her.

When everyone fell silent and watched Knick Knack tinker with her Pip-Boy, Ana flickered her eyes to the small boy, preparing to ask her question. He had the tip of his tongue sticking out of his lips, and he was concentrating desperately on the screen, which was casting a faint green glow over his small pale face. She took in a breath, then asked: "do you know the way to the tunnels leading to Vault 87?"

Everyone stopped and looked up at her, their mouths hanging agape. MacCready shook his head, rolling his eyes. Hemust have known how desperate she was to get there. Knick Knack was the last to look up at her, the green light making his wide eyes look more terrified. "We don't go there," Knick Knack replied, even more fearfully than MacCready had before, "it's bad back there."

They were just children, but their unanimous regard of fear for the back of the caves couldn't be ignored. Perhaps it was worse than she thought up ahead; she would need to be prepared.

After a few silent moments, the kids looked over a few more features of her Pip-Boy before all of them seemed satisfied. "Thanks for letting me look at your arm computer, mungo," Knick Knack said, and a few of the kids murmured in agreement behind him. "Maybe I'll build my own someday."

Ana nodded, not intending to encourage him further. "I'm interested in buying some supplies from you—from all of you, before I head out to the caves."

"Now, hold on lady," MacCready said, pulling his assault rifle defensively into his arms again, "who said you could go back there?"

"No one did," Ana affirmed, "but since you didn't want me in here to begin with, don't you want me out?"

"Yeah, the same way you came in," MacCready nearly yelled, motioning with his gun. A girl in a purple dress stood next to him, folding her arms over her chest, pointing a scowl towards Ana. The young woman sighed, then smiled, despite herself.

"You know what, kid," she said wearily, her voice sounding exhausted and fed up with everything, "your face looks a lot like my ass."

She didn't know exactly where it came from, but she was just so fed up with being in the presence of the children that she stopped caring what she said or did. She saw a few of the kids give her queer looks, but MacCready scoffed. "Oh yeah?" he retorted, "you must like having such a good looking butt."

"I bet you like to look at butts," the girl in the purple dress said to MacCready slyly, "don't you?"

Ana watched them, her small smile growing a bit at the edges. MacCready stared at the girl in the purple dress for a moment, then let out a humourless laugh. He threw his free arm up in the air exasperatingly, groaning in frustration.

"Fine, mungo, I'll let you into Murder Pass, but don't come cryin' to me once the super mutants hunt you down for gut soup," he said, turning from the shop. Everyone watched him go, and Ana chuckled once quietly.

"Who's interested in some caps?" she asked, turning to the room.

She spent the next half hour trading with the kids in their various shops and posts. She stocked up on her supply of ammo, food, and stimpaks, then headed towards the gate, all of the children, save for MacCready, trailing behind her.

"Now, I'm not to keen on letting you through the gates, myself," the girl in purple said from beside Ana, peering up at her suspiciously, "but if RJ gives it the go ahead, I'll let you through. That's _my_ gate, though, and I won't be so fast to open it again if you come screaming back. We're more likely to shoot you than save you, got it?"

"Understood," Ana said flatly. She would have done the same.

They rounded the corner, and Ana could see the gate in the distance. MacCready was standing on top of the small walkway that crowned the gate, his arms folded over his chest. Ana could see the lever beside him, but she could tell from her distance that it worked consecutively with another lever on the opposite side. At this observation, she watched the girl in purple skip up the steps and cross the walkway, coming to a stop next to the second lever.

"Thanks for your caps," MacCready called, a hand resting on the lever, "maybe we'll see you around."

Ana was surprised; she would have expected something foul coming out of his mouth. She nodded to him. The two children then pulled the levers simultaneously on either side of the gate, and the billboard door slid upwards like the first, granting Ana access to Murder Passage. She nodded absentmindedly as the gate stood open, then she raised a hand to the two children above before walking towards the gate.

All the children seemed to shout out something to Ana's retreating back, but all their calls went unanswered. She approached the end of the tunnel, the sounds of the children's voices thinning out as she grasped the door handle of the shack door and pulled it open, walking into a darker cave.

A few lights stood here and there in the tunnel, but the place was eerily quiet. It had an air about it that suggested to Ana that there was danger waiting, or wandering, about. Ana had bought several more rounds of microfusion cells, and she drew her laser rifle, reloading the weapon before she continued on.

As she stepped forward, a path that led to a rope drawn bridge to her left came into view, and she threw a glance down the way. Her eyes did a double take when she saw a super mutant stalking down the bridge, and Ana jumped back quietly and silently, ducking behind the cave wall and holding her gun tight. She could see the mutant draw closer, and she kept her hands firmly gripped on the gun.

When Ana thought she would have to blow her cover and attack the mutant, it stopped and turned back around on the bridge. What were they patrolling for? Were they expecting a threat to come through? Or was there a threat already there? The sudden idea that the Enclave had already reached the Vault struck her mind, and she felt anxiety grip her. As her heart began to race, she knew she had to spring into action, and quickly. As the super mutant came close to her again, Ana whipped around the cave wall, firing her gun square in the mutant's face. After four rounds, Ana slowed her trigger finger, staring at the super mutant. It seemed to stand there, dumbfounded, still and unmoving. Ana was prepared to fire again when the mutant slowly tilted backward, then landed dead with a large _thud_.

"Urgh?" she heard another mutant call from somewhere down the bridge and below. Ana crouched low, searching the mutant for weapons. When she looted a hunting rifle, ammo, and two frag grenades from the corpse's body, she crept slowly along the walls, keeping her laser rifle pointed in front of her. She stopped short of the bridge, carefully looking down below. Two super mutants stood next to each other, facing away from Ana, talking to each other in loud tones.

"Need find more humans. Need food!" one yelled at the other, completely oblivious to the fact that one of its comrades had just been shot to death not thirty feet above. The next one replied in a similar voice:

"Maybe we can find way to capture small human."

"No, not enough meat. Too small. They have gate, and they shoot at us."

"Oh, yeah. Maybe humans in Vault?"

"No, we're from Vault! No humans there!"

Ana snuck by on the bridge, making sure to keep low and quiet. The mutants continued to exchange short words, trying to calculate with difficulty their next source of food. The last words spoken caught Ana's attention, though, and she kept listening.

"Argh, no one here. We should go back home."

"No! Keep looking!" the other shouted, smacking his comrade on the back of the head with a thick hand, "we go back to Vault later!"

Ana had made it to the other side, and she continued through the winding path with easy steps. Eventually, as she came down another bend, a sign propped up on the floor caught her attention. She turned on her Pip-Boy emergency light, reading it over.

_KEEP OUT: NOT PART OF TOUR._

The Vault-Tec industries logo sat on top of the sign, and Ana felt a bout of excitement possess her. Shifting her grip on her gun, she followed the path that the sign indicated. Her steps were too quick, however, and when she came to another bend, she came face to chest with another super mutant.

"Aaaa-hahaha!" the Mutant cheered, swinging its fist at Ana. "Food!"

Ana ducked out of the way of the mutant's strike, and pivoted around on her heel, coming to its back. Luckily, Ana hadn't stored the grenades she had looted in her Pip-Boy, and instead plucked one from her pocket, pulled the pin, and stuffed the small explosive into the band of the mutant's pants. She straightened and ran down the tunnel from the mutant, and it turned after her, pulling its rifle and shooting haphazardly in her direction. Ana managed to dodge his bullets, and she heard him shout: "I want food!" before the grenade's explosion rang in her ears, and rubble shook off the cave walls, falling about her. The firing ceased.

Ana was certain that more super mutants would come after her, but after running through the empty tunnels for several minutes, she came across a more open cave, and no sounds came from behind her. Watching her footing for traps, Ana walked through to the end of the cave, passing by a chain link fence, when she found another Vault-Tec sign and door. The door had rust and blood all over it, but Ana's courage didn't falter in the slightest. She walked to the door, hitting the open button hard, and stepping into the hallway.

The place simply smelled of decay and mold. Ana scrunched her nose, and kept her hand from flying from her gun to her face to block out the smell. She couldn't afford to lose her guard again, or her aim. It truly _stunk_ in Vault 87, or at least, what was left of Vault 87. The place looked like it had been torn apart long ago. At the end of the hallway, Ana found another Vault door leading inside, illuminated by a glaring red light. Ana stepped inside, peering through the hall. Even though the light was red, she could still see the blood spatter and the decayed skeletons that lay scattered everywhere. Stepping over them gently, she made her way down the red lit hall, weaving her way through unfamiliar territory. Wherever she was, it was a place that she hadn't traversed in Vault 101; it must have been a restricted area. The further she went, the more bodies she found. When she came to a locker room, the entire floor was littered with fresh gore and skeletons. A few radroaches prowled the room at the back, but Ana didn't waste her ammo or time on them. She headed for the doorway at the back which seemed to lead to a staircase, and she started upwards.

There was simply more bodies, more mess, more chaos. Ana walked through it all, feeling her stomach churn with sickness again, although she wasn't sure if the source was the filth around her, or her radiation sickness. After another short staircase, she came to a door labeled _LIVING QUATERS_, and entered. The place was dank and dark, and after she had climbed a set of stairs, she found herself in the oh so familiar atrium. The place was disgusting; if Ana thought the first halls were full of gore and too many bodies, the atrium was the slaughter house of Hell. Mutilated bodies were tied together in clumps of gore with barbed wire, and were situated throughout the room and hung from the ceiling. Ana sighed and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sound of blood dripping steadily on the ground. Following the doorway to her immediate right, Ana climbed the stairs to the second floor of the atrium. Now that there was more than one option for paths of travel, Ana wasn't entirely sure where to go to find the G.E.C.K., but she figured she should start somewhere. After reaching the second floor, she crossed the atrium to the other side, finding herself in a long hall of rooms. One particular room caught her interest, and she entered.

It looked like an old medical office, and to her surprise, the personal terminal was still operating. Ana approached it and entered a few commands, bringing up the personal files. A note labeled for all staff caught her eye, and she selected it. Perhaps it would have information on the G.E.C.K., or perhaps it would tell her more about the downfall of the Vault.

_Any Vault member marked as deceased by the special EEP section will be tagged and coded in the computer as an unexplained or undefined death. This comes directly from the Overseer of the Vault, who will be personally inspecting your reports to make sure they are accurate. Please refrain from sending inquiries to this office or the EEP Chief Physician..._

Ana looked upon the note curiously. Obviously, the Vault was trying to hide something from its residence; a plague, perhaps? Ana looked through the rest of the files, and decided to read the death code definitions. The list was extensive, and the possibilities of demise in the Vault seemed to be plentiful. The unexplained code was listed last, but there was no more information as to why the code had become a priority.

Ana returned to the hall, and after she climbed another two sets of stairs, she found herself in front of another door labeled _TEST LABS_. Her eyes flashed and her mind raced; would this be where the G.E.C.K. was? As she walked through the door, the unnerving thought came through her head that the unexplained death code was linked to the lab she was about to enter.

Down the hallway, Ana spotted a terminal attached to the wall next to a door. Ana approached it without thought, and activated it, looking through its files. The terminal was listed as _FEV Test Chamber #1_, and showed status on the apparent test subject's stats. Everything was at zero. A window stood to the left of the computer, and Ana sidestepped towards it, peering through.

A horribly mutated body lay on a bench, his horrible face twisting from his overly muscled and elongated neck. The most notable feature of the corpse was the green colour of its skin.

FEV. Was that what caused super mutant mutations? Ana's eyes lingered over the corpse for a few moments more before she continued on down the hall. After searching a few empty rooms (where there was no trace of mutated bodies) Ana came across another lab with another working terminal. Opening its files, Ana found the computer to be the Chief Physician's. Selecting the reports, she read them over carefully, feeling astounded and appalled.

_The latest subjects in the Evolutionary Experimentation Program (EEP) are showing some promise after only a single exposure to the modified FEV... We hope to have a breakthrough in this strain as the continual pressure from Vault-Tec is becoming quite bothersome...._

_...Incredible results!... Their bodies are undergoing severe physical changes, losing most of their visible female indicators and transforming to an almost asexual state. They are also seeing increased upper body strength and muscle reformation in line with males... Similarily, our male subjects are losing most of their male indicators and are taking on the same asexual state as the females. It seems that the FEV wishes to "level the playing field" and start with a clean slate, as it works...._

_...The brains of the subjects becoming too damaged to support even the most basic human needs (eating, sleeping, etc.).... At ten days, we are now noticing that the skin of all our remaining test subjects is actually thickening and becoming more resilient. This seems to be the FEV bringing about some new adaptive change. This is the kind of result we are looking for... adaptations that could prove useful in combat situations... All of the test subjects began to exhibit severe bouts of rage and anxiety... I had no choice once again but to order them to be destroyed... the cycle has been repeated in every strain we test. We always see superior physical adaptations, but the mental changes are their downfall._

Ana suddenly saw super mutants in a new light. Part of an experiment that had gone wrong... but if they all mutated to an asexual state, then how did they appear to reproduce so rapidly? Perhaps they were able to adapt gender like some amphibious animals. Ana put the thought from her mind, though, and left the terminal behind. When the war happened, people had no idea that they were signing their lives away to Vault-Tec. The people that lived here had inevitably become one of the most raging and terrifying foes of the Wasteland.

Ana left the computer and the room behind, feeling slightly ill at ease. When she rounded the corner and approached the mouth of another hallway, a voice filled her ears from in front of her. Ana paused, clutching her gun fearfully. The voice sounded like a super mutant's, and it came from the intercom in front of her.

"_You... Please, come speak to me. I'm in the room to your left. Use the intercom next to the window._"

The brief thought, _how can a super mutant figure out how to use an intercom?_, fluttered through her mind before she curiously stepped forth and pressed the call button. As she peered around the edge of the window to see inside, she said with uncertainty: "Hello?"

"_My God,_" the super mutant said over the intercom as soon as Ana released the button, "_Either you are quite real, or I am going quite mad._"

The voice of the super mutant was odd; it sounded like the over loud, over emphasized speech of every other super mutant, but the words he used were not typical of the brutish species. Ana let him continue, her mind entertaining certain thoughts and ideas about the individual behind the intercom.

"_Could you actually be a pure human?_"

"Well, yes, I'm human," Ana replied, reflecting her confusion in her voice, "but what are you?"

"_Me?_" The super mutant gave a lengthy pause. "_...you care who I am?_"

Ana didn't reply, but looked around the window at the super mutant. She finally caught sight of him; he was standing around the corner, supposedly in front of the intercom, and the torn remains of his Vault suit stretched over his tall green frame. They made eye contact, and Ana nodded.

"_Forgive me,_" he continued, "_but I am not used to pleasantries. I'm more used to grunts and being struck around by the others. My name's Fawkes. I've lived in this... cage all my life._"

"They keep _you _prisoner?" she asked over the intercom, "you quite obviously have higher levels of processing than they do."

"_Yes,_" Fawkes agreed, "_indeed,_ _it is ironic. Forgive my astonishment, but I hadn't expected to meet someone with such a learned outlook of these things. It is a pleasant change. Though, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, it was only a matter of time before someone like you showed up for the G.E.C.K._"

Ana's eyes widened, and she stared at the intercom in disbelief as if it were Fawkes himself. "The G.E.C.K. is actually still here? Where is it? Are there others that have come for it?"

"_Hold on,_" he eased,"_no one else has come here. It's safe. Better yet, I know where it is, and best of all, I know how you can get your hands on it._"

Ana laughed joyously, but the sound died out quickly when the sound touched her ears. It was the first time she had laughed since her world fell apart. In an instant, she felt guilty for expressing such joy, for feeling it. Composing herself, she touched the call button, and asked: "Fawkes, why would you help me?"

"_Because you can help me._"

Ana knew that would have been his answer, but she was not bothered by the idea in the slightest. He may have been a super mutant, but he obviously posed no threat to Ana, not that she couldn't take him out if he did. "Go on."

"_Let me out of this place!_" he seemed to beg, "_I can't take it anymore, I can't even recall how long I've been here! Take me with you, and I'll retrieve the G.E.C.K. for you._"

"Wait," Ana said, his last few words catching her off guard, "why would I have trouble getting the G.E.C.K.?"

"_The chamber in which the G.E.C.K_. _resides is absolutely flooded with radiation. It's unlikely that you'd survive there very long. Myself, on the other hand, have surprisingly inherited a useful trait from my fellow 'Meta Humans'. I am highly resistant to radiation. Let me out of here, and I will place the G.E.C.K. safely in your hands._"

Ana learned she could trust no one in the Wastes, but she found herself trusting Fawkes within a mere minute of her meeting him. In fact, she even liked him. "Agreed. How do I get you out?"

"_At the end of the hallway to your right is a maintenance room. Inside, you'll find the fire control console for the medical area. Trip the alarm on it, and I'll be able to get out._"

"Okay."

"_A word of warning though,_" Fawkes quickly interjected, "_tripping the console activates a failsafe, and will open _all_ of the recovery rooms in the medical area. There are other subjects here that won't be as peaceful as I am. So, what do you think? Can you do it?_"

"I already said I would," Ana replied coolly. She knew the other specimens in those rooms would ambush her, but if Fawkes were to be released at the same time, there wouldn't be anything the two of them couldn't handle together.

"_I'm glad to see you are a sensible person,_" Fawkes added, leaning over towards the window and attempting a smile for Ana. It looked more like a stretched grimace, but Ana knew he meant well (or she, whichever it may have been at one point). Ana departed from the intercom, and followed Fawkes's instructions to the maintenance room.

Two large generators lit up the dark room with sparks of brightly coloured electricity. Ana felt nervous as she walked by them, as if her body would attract the force and she would fry to death. On the wall directly across from her was the fire control console, and without so much as a moment's hesitation, she hit the button.

The alarm began to blare in her ears, and Ana turned back out to the hall. When she got there, she saw a man emerging from his cell—an actual man—and he stood on the spot, panting heavily.

"Hey," Ana called, and his head whipped towards her. "I didn't realize there were people here. Are you all right?" The man started to step towards her.

"Hey," Ana repeated, her voice wavering in uncertainty. When the man lunged into a charge at her, Ana aimed her rifle and blew off his head. He fell dead, his hair and beard burning under the heat of the laser she shot at him.

Just then, several of the same centaur like creatures that attacked her near Dukov's place emerged from three other cells, and didn't give so much as a glance before they crawled toward her. Ana felt a yell of panic escape her lungs as she fired at them, backing herself up against the dead end wall. Her shots killed one approaching centaur, but two more still approached, and Ana slid her back down the wall as she fired at them ferociously, her teeth bared.

When they got close, too close, Ana squeezed her eyes shut and screamed in horror. Time elapsed, and nothing happened. Ana opened her eyes cautiously again, finding Fawkes standing over her.

"Thought you could do it, huh?" he called over the alarm, holding a bloody sledge hammer in his hands. He held one hand out for Ana, and she grabbed on to it (with two hands, for one was too small to grip it with) and stood up, collecting herself and reloading her rifle.

"Thank you, Fawkes," she started, but he turned away from her, holding his palms out and turning his head towards the ceiling.

"Finally, _freedom!_ True FREEDOM! Ah hah ha!" he turned back to Ana, stomping towards her with his arms wide. Ana tried to retreat from his pursuit, but her back pressed against the wall again. His large hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer, then he wrapped his giant arms around her. "I cannot thank you enough for this gift!"

Ana held her breath (involuntarily) as he continued to squeeze her. She nodded against his shoulder, waiting for him to release her. Finally, his bear gripping hug ended, and she gulped in a mouth full of air.

"You have no idea how long I've pictured this moment in my mind... and it feels far better than I'd imagined!

"Ah, now, for my part of the bargain," Fawkes interrupted himself, gripping the sledge hammer defensively again, attempting a smile. "Follow me."

Ana felt her own heart race as her own moment started to come true. She nodded to Fawkes, and resettled herself. This was it; this was what she came for, this was her parents' work.

Fawkes led Ana deep into the Vault, through halls and rooms she didn't recognize from Vault 101. In five minutes, Ana and Fawkes had fought through several super mutants before they found themselves near the deepest part of the Vault.

"Okay," Fawkes said, standing in front of a door, "you stay here. Beyond this door, the hallways and chambers are flooded with radiation. I'll get the case and bring it right back. Keep your eyes open, should any of my lesser-minded brethren come across us."

"Right," Ana said, turning her back to him and holding her laser rifle tight. She knew the weapon would need repair or replacing soon, but it had been so trusty to her, it couldn't possibly break.

Fawkes opened the door, and a faint glowing green light emitted from the doorway. Ana watched him as he entered the room, stomping away to the back. Ana held her rifle high at aim, and kept her sight down the hall.

After a moment, Ana could hear gears and mechanisms churn as Fawkes worked at them. She listened to the hydraulics and clicking sounds of the chamber he opened, mentally taking apart the system she couldn't see and piece it together. Her eyes never left the hall though, and after another moment, Ana could hear his footsteps approach her again.

"As promised," Fawkes said as he ducked under the head of the doorway, "here's the G.E.C.K. I hope it's worth it."

He handed her a small package, and Ana took it tentatively. The G.E.C.K. was a simple box? A simple box with a handle, not to mention. "G.E.C.K." was printed across the side, and a few safety locks covered the top near the handle. Ana held it in her hands, feeling the weight such an item had on the world. In her hands was the item that had the potential to change everything her birth had prevented. Punching the familiar codes into her Pip-Boy, the same green laser reappeared, and she scanned the G.E.C.K. with it, feeling it disappear from beneath her fingers. "Thank you, Fawkes."

"Well," he said, "you're welcome, but I'm afraid this is where you and I part company." Ana was a little taken aback, but she understood completely. The man finally had his freedom again, and he had his own path to follow. "I'll find my way out of this place, don't worry."

"No, I know you'll be fine," Ana affirmed. She wasn't sure how she'd get out without having to go back to Little Lamplight again. "Goodbye, Fawkes."

"Maybe we'll meet somewhere out in the Wastes again," Fawkes encouraged, giving her his stretchy smile. Ana returned the gesture lamely, trying to force a grin. Just the short up turning of her lips surprised her; she was almost certain she would never smile again so easily. Turning on her heel, she left Fawkes, throwing her laser rifle on her back. Her and Fawkes cleared out any prospective enemies, so she wouldn't need it again until she was clear of Vault 87.

Ana ran all the way through the Vault, finding her way back to the entrance. She had felt so elated to have the G.E.C.K. in her hands. Without a moment's hesitation, she would bring it back to the Brotherhood, and hopefully by then they would have prepared themselves to fight off the Enclave invasion of the Jefferson Memorial, of Project Purity.

As Ana ran down another set of steps into an open room, a small object fell from the ceiling, and bounced on the floor. Ana looked at it curiously, then it suddenly started to emit a high pitched sound. She gasped out loud, and turned to run back up the stairs.

Her world shook, but she found herself rooted to her spot. Her vision blurred so much that everything became white, and she could barely feel her head smack against the ground once her balance had given out. When her vision started to go back to normal, she looked around the room, trying to find her attacker, but she was so disoriented. She fought to lift her head up from the ground, and she could barely feel the hot stickiness of her blood on her temple. Then, a soldier came into her view. Not just a soldier, but an Enclave henchmen. He seemed like a giant in her vision, towering over her. His black armour sparked with energy as he moved, and she could hear his gun whir with life as he walked past her. From over his large armour, she could see his ugly mask turned down towards her. She was too late; the Enclave had arrived. She had lost, they had won.

A second soldier walked on the opposite side of her, and she fought with herself to get to her feet and fight back, but she could not move. "Objective is secured, sir," one of the soldiers said through his mask. Ana tried to move her head to look up into their masks, look up around the room, but to move her eyes was too much, but when _he_ walked into her view, she didn't have to move.

A man dressed similarly to the Colonel who confronted her father nearly two days before stepped into her sight, kneeling down and peering into her face. Ana could only stare back.

"Good work, soldier. Make sure the G.E.C.K. is secured aboard my Vertibird."

_Oh no oh no oh nonono the G.E.C.K. she needed to protect the G.E.C.K. and oh fuck don't take the G.E.C.K.!_

"Yes, sir, I'll have the techs come down and remove it immediately, sir."

"You're certain she's unharmed?" the man in the white coat questioned, looking her over. He was concerned about her health; they wanted her alive.

"Yes, sir. She'll pass out shortly, but we can revive her."

"Excellent. Prepare her for transport immediately."

"Right away, sir."

The man gave her a single lopsided grin before standing and exiting the room. Ana tried to shout after him, insult him, fight back or do _something_, but she could not. Her eyes became fuzzy and she closed them gently as sleep took over her.

_I'm sorry._


	12. The American Dream in the Garden of Eden

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_Almost done... )`:_

Chapter Twelve: The American Dream in the Garden of Eden

Ana's eyes fluttered open, and she felt every memory flood her like a tidal wave. She was in Vault 87, and Fawkes helped her retrieve the G.E.C.K.—she had the G.E.C.K.! No... no, she didn't. The Enclave appeared and sabotaged her before taking the G.E.C.K. and she couldn't do anything about it—

The realization of her surroundings slowly sunk in with her memories. She was strapped to an odd device, like a chair, but it had her slanted in a sort of standing position. Her body was tethered in place by an odd electrical field, and she could not move. Just watching the blue forcefield spark convinced her that escape was out of the question. Just then, she heard a menacing soft chuckle, and she looked up to see the face of the man who had imprisoned her.

"I see you're awake."

Ana grunted, burning her heated eyes into the Colonel. She knew what would follow; he would ask her for information with threat of torture. The fucking bastard; she knew she would rather die several times over rather than jeopardize her father's dream, her dream.

"Let's keep this nice and simple," the man hissed, his voice garbled with an odd accent, "you're going to tell me the code for that purifier, and you're going to tell me now."

Ana stayed silent, feeling her face heat up with rage as her look of hate and disgust formed on her face. "Rot in hell, you swine." Her voice was so full of venom that not even she recognized it.

"Look, little Missy; you lost. The good guys won this one, and now we're just wrapping up loose ends." Ana's teeth gritted in response. "We've got the purifier, now we just need the code to start it. You're going to give me that code now, and save us all a lot of trouble. Maybe I'll even let you go. So, how about it?"

"What's so important about this code?" Ana probed, her voice still hot with anger, "why does the Enclave want to activate Project Purity?"

"You know why we want the code; we can't start the purifier without it. Furthermore, the longer the purifier isn't running, the more people suffer. Now, I'm running out of patience. I want that code, and I want it _now_."

"But why did you intervene? Why couldn't you just let the team activate it for themselves?"

"Stop asking questions, little lady, or you'll pay for them dearly," the Colonel replied, stepping forth and drawing a knife from his pocket. He poked the blade up on the underside of her chin, and she tilted her head upwards, staring him down with a face so stoic, it was furious.

"What is that code?" he breathed, pausing in between each word as he pressed the blade harder against her skin.

"Fuck you," she hissed, "I'm not telling you anything." In all honesty, she had no idea what the code was; even if she did know, however, she would never have told that devil. Ana was prepared to die for the purifier, for even though the Colonel told her nothing of their intentions, she knew they were not holy and noble as he wanted them to appear.

The Colonel barred his teeth and put pressure on the knife, and Ana squinted her eyes, moaning in pain. Just then, something activated with a buzzing noise from across the room. "_Colonel..._" an omniscient and scheming voice said, and the man pulled his knife away, spinning to the opposite wall. Ana reopened her eyes to follow the Colonel's gaze, and saw a camera eye focus in on the man. Ana's brow furrowed upon looking at it; it looked like the eyebot's camera. "_I have need of you._"

"Mister President, I have no time for other matters!" the Colonel said impatiently, "I'll be with you shortly."

"_Now, Colonel..._" the voice said scathingly.

There was a pause, and Ana could see the Colonel's grip flex on the knife. "Yes, sir." Putting away his knife, the Colonel crossed the room and activated the door, letting it slide away, granting him access to the outside. As soon as the door slid closed, the eye moved in Ana's direction, zooming its lens on her. "_Ah, alone at last,_" it said, and Ana felt her face shift in confusion once again.

"What?"

"_I do apologize for Colonel Autumn's attitude; he's been under a great deal of stress lately. I have no doubt that you know how I am; I'm sure you've heard my radio broadcasts._" She never had, actually, but she knew of them.

"_I'd like to have a word with you, face-to-face. I think there are a few things you and I should discuss. You'll find your possessions in the locker by the door. I'll unlock the way for you, and your restraints as well. I'll be waiting for you in my office. Please, don't tarry._"

Suddenly, the field surrounding her dissipated, and she felt her body slump away out of the uncomfortable position. Standing tall, she realized she had been stripped down to her underwear, and not one other thing was left on her (except for her Pip-Boy of course, being it was like a body part). Ana stretched a little, staring at the camera as it followed her across the room. She felt odd, watched. So, all the eyebots and cameras were linked directly to the President. How could she have ever guessed otherwise?

Ana opened the locker, pulling out her outfit first, and putting it on. Her laser rifle was not there, of course; it must have been destroyed when she was ambushed. Everything else that had been stored on her Pip-Boy was otherwise there; all her ammo, the spare hunting rifle she had scavenged, the knife the soldier from the Citadel had given her, and even half a bottle of purified water and fried iguana remained. One item at a time, Ana put them all into her Pip-Boy again, save for her knife and gun, which she stored on her back and belt, then closed the locker, looking oddly at the spy cam once more before leaving the room.

"Hold it right there!" a man said behind her as she turned right down the hall. Ana turned slowly to face him, and her eyes landed on a camera in between the two of them on the wall. The President was watching everything.

"You're supposed to be in that holding cell. You're not going anywhere!" Ana's eyes darted between the camera and the man. "There's a full compliment of guards in the next room. As soon as I get them, you're going back to your cell—in a body bag, if necessary."

"The President requested my presence," Ana said firmly, shifting her feet slightly, "he removed my restraints."

"No one sees the President except Colonel Autumn."

"Not even you?" she said, challengingly.

He looked back at her hard. "Stand right there while I check this out."

The man approached the spy cam, pressing the button with certain annoyance and hesitation. "Uh, Mister President... um, I'm sorry to bother you, uh, this is Lieutenant Williams, I have an unauthorized individual here who says she's supposed to speak with you."

"_I'm surprised to hear from you, Lieutenant,_" the President's voice said from over the speaker by the camera,"_I don't recall authorizing you to contact me._"

"Yes, sir," the Lieutenant said, visibly uncomfortable, "I'm sorry about that. It, uh, just, mm, seemed out of the ordinary. I apologize."

"_Apology noted, Lieutenant_," the President responded. "_Yes, I instructed our friend to come up to the control room,_" his voice became more harsh, "_no questions, no interference, am I understood?_"

"I understand, sir. Again, I apologize for the interruption."

"_Allow our friend to pass, and report to your superior for reassignment, Lieutenant—at once._" Ana made a slight face. She had no sympathy, but she knew those instructions were demeaning ones.

"Yes, Sir," he seemed to choke.

Ana's eyes flashed to the man's only for a moment before she turned around and continued up the hall. As she winded through the iron wrought hall, the President's voice seeped from the intercoms above:

"_Attention all Raven Rock Personnel: this is your President speaking. I've invited our guest from Vault 101 for a visit. Please do not impede on her progress. Thank you._

"_That's right_," he said from a camera next to her suddenly, "_just down this way, you're doing well._"

Ana jumped; somehow, this man was everywhere, watching everyone, able to calculate things so quickly. She looked at him briefly before continuing on down the hall, listening to her boots clank against the iron floor.

Ana passed through a lab, and an Eclave sentry stood just beyond the doorway, holding his gun defensively. "Ma'am," he muttered, then turned away, to prove a truce. Ana walked past him towards the open hall, and into a conjoining lab. As soon as she walked in, a tall cubicle of glowing green fluid caught her eye from straight across the room; a super mutant floated inside, seemingly unconscious. She watched as two Enclave soldiers jested in front of it, laughing together quietly. Ana ignored them, but looked upon the super mutant. Were Vault-Tec and the government hand in hand before the war? Was the FEV virus synthesized for the benefit of the military?

She walked past them, feeling sorry for the mutant inside its small prison. She climbed the stairs, following the small encouragements from the President as she passed a camera. Ana entered lab 2A when Colonel Autumn's voice boomed over the speakers:

"_Attention, this is Colonel Autumn. You are here now ordered to ignore the President's previous directive. The prisoner from Vault 101 is to be shot on sight. I repeat: shot on sight! This is an order!"_

Ana felt her heart leap to her throat. Oh, no; an "order" war. She either had to make a run for it to the President's in time to find shelter, or fire through a mass of Enclave soldiers. Drawing her rifle from her back, she looked behind her and opened the door before her quickly, dashing inside.

Ana tore her way through a flurry of laser shots and yells, and rounded into the lower level labs. As she ran past with hunting rifle in hand, scientists who surrounded a large over sized monster scattered from her, and Ana ran in the opposite direction. She seemed to be clear of danger, but when she entered through a large door and raced down the hallway, she was met with another obstacle.

The door at the end of the hall on the right slid open, and two Enclave soldiers rushed from the room, firing at Ana as she ran toward them. Acting quickly, Ana slid to safety behind a tall towering structure, and stayed low behind it. The soldiers kept firing, breaking away at her cover, trying to get her to run for it. Scrolling through her inventory, she found the last grenade she had left from the Little Lamplight caverns, and she tossed it at an angle towards the wall, bouncing it off and to the side towards the soldiers.

"Fuck, duck for cover!" one shouted, but it was too late. Ana covered her ears and her head as the grenade exploded and the room shook. Looking over her shoulder, she deemed the coast clear, and she ran for the door the soldiers had come from. Darting up a set of stairs, Ana found herself in some sort of strategy room; a round table illuminated in the middle of the floor pinpointed markers. Ana had no time to discern the meaning for the markers, however, and she dashed over to the door labeled 2C, which read _Maintenance Room._

As she stepped into the room, she was met by two Enclave soldiers and two sentry bots. Ana backed off and hid behind another tower-shaped object, firing at one soldier. They fired back, but suddenly, the robots shocked the soldiers from behind, and they fell dead. Ana looked at them for a moment, waiting to see if they would attack her, but they didn't. The President must have had control over his machinery, at least. Ana ran forward between the two robots, and opened the large bulkhead door labeled 1A.

"**THE PRESIDENT WILL SEE YOU NOW,"** a sentry bot said next to her, **"PLEASE PROCEED."**

Ana bolted past them down the wide hallway, then found herself at the end, inside the maintenance room. She looked around wildly for the President, but he was not there. A set of stairs winding upwards from the center of the room caught her eye, and she darted up them, hoping no other Enclave soldiers would meet her on her way.

Ana raced up several sets of stairs, and finally found herself at the top. She slowed to a stop in the middle of the platform; a door stood before her, but there was no President. Was it a trap? Had she been done in? Fear and betrayal swam through her thoughts, when suddenly, the President's voice sounded behind her.

"_Ah, face to face, at last. It's high time we met. I am President John Henry Eden._"

Ana turned around, then did a double take. The President sat behind her; a tall, large, and domineering monitor screen and control panel. Ana looked the super computer over, calculating everything in her mind. "You're a computer..." Ana muttered, turning full around and stepping towards the President.

"_I am quite pleased you were able to make it. The trip was not what I had intended, but serves as an adequate test of your abilities._"

Ana let the silence hang for a moment, then responded: "what do you want from me?"

"_What any good politician wants._" As he spoke, a thin white line jumped to the pitch frequencies of his voice on the monitor. "_Your continued trust and support. In your case, however, I have more specific things to ask of you. If you'll hear me out._"

Ana hadn't the slightest bit of trust, especially not after they raided the project and threatened their lives. However, for some reason, the President seemed more inviting, as if he needed saving from the people that had run over his limited programming. Ana did not by any means begin to form a liking to the machine, but she folded her arms in front of her, and nodded, allowing him to continue.

"_Our nation's capital is at a crossroads._" _Capital?_ _The nation hadn't existed for two hundred years..._ she thought. "_The path that you and I choose here today will affect us all._" Ana was used to that sort of control over fate; she had practiced it several times in the Wasteland. "_I need you to act on my behalf, to ensure our country's future is secured._"

Ana thought the entire notion of the United States of America still being a nation was complete bullshit and an utter waste of time, and she voiced this. "The country was laid to waste by war two hundred years ago, Eden. There's nothing left to ensure but the future of each Wastelander out there."

"_That's a bit of a bleak outlook, don't you think?_" he asked, and Ana wasn't sure if he meant the Wastelanders or the country. "_The United States has fallen on hard times, yes, but it can be healed. You have that power to heal within you, should you chose to act._

"_What I ask of you needs explanation, so you understand why it must be done. Perhaps that will encourage you to see from my perspective._"

"And what is your perspective?"

"_Our land is ravaged by mutation,_" he began, his voice dropping for effect, "_the war was so many years ago, and yet we still suffer from its effects. We cannot move forward until humanity can gain a solid foothold in the world._"

Ana's mind began to tick, and she started to understand why the Enclave took over the project for itself; they wished to add to the project, manipulate it in order to shift the levels of mutation in the land. Ana wasn't sure what his plan was, but she continued to listen, her mind racing with ideas.

"_To do this, we must rid ourselves of the mutations that have plagued us for so long; these 'Super Mutants', these ghouls, the creatures of the Wastes... I believe your father's work can do that in a way unlike any other._"

Ana's eyes flashed as she realized the President's intentions; she wouldn't have exactly called them good, but they were not by any means evil. It seemed he wanted to add to the purifier in order to help humanity wipe the slate clean and begin a new healthy life. Her eyes searched the ground as she thought this over while he continued, and the computer seemed to sense her disapproval.

"_You must understand,_" the President offered more forcefully, "_we need to clear the way for humanity to rebuild the Wastes. By making a few small modifications to the Purifier, mutations can be eradicated with a little effort. Anything mutated that comes into contact with that water will be eliminated, removed from the gene pool. The men and women of the world will no longer share it with the horrors and monstrosities that have become so commonplace, and the world can have a chance to grow again._"

"Mister President," Ana began, "I understand your reasoning, but I don't like the sound of this. Everyone suffers from mutation; be it ghoulification or minor radiation poisoning, the radiation has effected us all. If you tamper with Project Purity, you might just end up killing everyone."

"_There may be small sacrifices, but think of the death of the threats that live in the Wasteland; the people would no longer have to hide in fear of the feral wildlife that plague them. With the modification to Project Purity, the world just might have a better chance at beginning again._"

Ana ran her hands over her bald head, just as she used to do when her hair was still there. Wasn't she in a position like this before? "How would I do it?" Ana said quietly, looking up to the monitor. If the President were a person, she would have sworn he was smiling.

"_What I require of you, girl, is really very simple. There is a vial in front of you, filled with a modified FEV virus. It needs to be inserted into the control console for the purifier. Once that is done, and the activation code is entered, the purifier will be activated and the process will be automated. It's not too much to ask of you, is it?_" The question sounded taunting.

"I'll see what I can do, President Eden," Ana replied in a hollow voice, looking away.

"_Excellent,_" he said with too much pleasure for a machine, "_I am pleased to know that I can count on you. There isn't much time, however, I suggest you travel there immediately. Once you've taken the vile, you're free to go. I'll do what I can to help speed your exit._"

Ana's brow furrowed. She realized that the President, the all powerful supercomputer, could not call its own men down. She looked upon the monitor, studying the flat line that seemed to peer back at her, as if waiting for her to speak with a stare.

"Hold on," Ana said, resting her hands on her hips and tilting her head to the side, "your men don't even know of this plan? You're doing this behind everyone's backs?"

"_As the President, I must make sacrifices for my nation, even if that includes telling her lies._"

Ana shook her head, folding her arms. "You can't be President," she concluded, "you're an abortion of science; you need to die."

"_Really,_" he replied, his voice mimicking tones similar to intrigue, "_do go on._"

"You weren't elected President," she said, "no one elected you; you're a supercomputer programmed to take control in a post-apocalyptic setting. You don't have the right to govern."

"_Is our nation really in a state to be holding public elections?_" the President questioned, "_I think not. Once we have reestablished ourselves, and brought some civilization to the land around us, then we can return to the old world policies._"

"But how do you know what you're doing is in fact in alignment with those policies?"

"_Because, unlike humans, I am infallible._"

"And how do you know you're infallible?"

He paused, "_because I have been programmed to be, of course!_"

"That's circular logic," she concluded, "You know because you know? It makes no sense."

There was no direct response from the President, and Ana could hear the computer tower whir as it calculated its next response. "_...Processing..._"

Ana blinked, and unfolded her arms. "_Internal logic error detected._"

_To err is human_, Ana thought to herself, _to really screw up, you need a computer_.

"_Reseting primary memory circuits; please stand by._" there was a pause, and the President came back to life. "_Perhaps... perhaps there is a problem, I... I am unsure of how to proceed._"

"Shut this place down," Ana suggested demandingly, "shut yourself down."

"_...Processing directive,_" the computer responded, "_new directive accepted. Self-destruct sequence initialized. Civilian is advised to remove hazardous FEV material and exit at once._"

A compartment slid open beneath the monitor, and Ana laid eyes on the vile of FEV virus, sitting there, as if this plan, this conversation between her and him, was devised even before her birth. Ana looked upon the vile with confusion. Did she really want to use that on Project Purity? It was so small, but it held so much weight.

"_Locks will remain activated until the FEV is removed from the internal compartment._"

Without another moment's pause, she snatched the vile into her hand. That should have been the end of it, but Ana glanced upward next to the monitor to see a vase of yellow flowers sitting there serenely. Her eyes lingered over them. She had no idea of what they were exactly; she had scarcely seen pictures of flowers in the textbooks, and they were only described and briefly mentioned. Ana's hand lifted upwards to brush one of the fragile petals, feeling its softness. Were things like this a possibility if she used the FEV virus like the President had asked? Could everything truly regrow?

The monitor suddenly _blipped_ as it was shut off, and Ana was stolen from her trance. She turned and hit the button to the maintenance room rapidly, then fled through the doors as soon as they were wide enough. She turned right down the hall, then went through another large bulkhead door. On either side of her were Mark VI turrets, and she flinched back, half expecting them to take aim at her, but they stayed straight.

"Engaging prisoner!" an Enclave soldier called, firing his laser rifle at Ana. She ducked to her heels quickly, backing off to the side behind the turret on her left. The machines spurted laser rapidly at the soldiers, and within seconds, they were dead. Ana's eyes scoured the hallway for any other soldiers, and when she deemed the area clear, she stood, nodding to one of the turrets as she passed, as if it would be able to read the gesture as gratitude. Ana collected a laser rifle from one of the fallen soldiers (which had long since become her preferred weapon), throwing aside her hunting rifle, and took the last of the ammo she could find on their bodies. Straight down the hall from her, Ana could see the bulkhead door sparking with a live wire, and she decided to head right down the adjoining hall. Perhaps what ever was left of the President's programming was guiding her towards the exit by sabotaging the entrance ways.

As Ana rounded down the hall, an alarm began to sound, and through windows on her right, she could see the "Vertibirds" being lifted on platforms to the surface, Enclave soldiers hopping aboard and preparing their escape. When Ana came to a T-intersection, two sentry bots bolted out from the hallway to her left, and she jumped in surprise, aiming her weapon. They rolled past her quickly, taking fire at shadowed figures at the end of the hall. Ana kept herself under cover of the wall, waiting for the skirmish to be over. She had gained a lot of combat experience in her previous week in the Wasteland, but she still knew enough to know she stood no chance against several soldiers. When one soldier and one sentry bot was left, Ana rushed forth, shooting her gun rapidly at the survivor. He had little time to let alone turn around before Ana's shots dealt a fatal blow. Ana rushed up to each body, collecting the last of their ammo before rushing onward again.

In the next room, several robots were already taking action on the soldiers in the halls. Two flamethrowers and a laser turret reigned hell down upon a group of Enclave soldiers, and they all fell to their death, some screaming and riling on the floor as Ana jumped over them and down the hall.

When Ana thought the path was clear, a grenade set off just before the next bulk head door, and the force of the explosion sent her back onto her seat. As two more sentry bots rolled into view and began opening fire upon two heavily armed Enclave soldiers, Ana lay on her back and roll sideways, out of sight and mind of the battle. One soldier appeared to have a laser enabled Gatling gun, and he pelted a sentry bot with several rounds, forcing the robot backward. When Ana realized the robot was going to be forced backward into her, she stood, dashing out into the open to avoid its crushing weight. Her aim was deadly as she ran across the hall, unloading a cell into the soldiers. Ana dived headlong, rolling over her shoulder and righting herself in a crouch. She held her rifle steadily at where the two soldiers used to stand, and stood once she witnessed their bodies.

"**HAVE A NICE DAY."**

Ana ran from the scene, past the dead soldiers and the idling sentry bots. In front of her was another bulkhead door, and as it opened automatically for her, she realized she was clear of the Raven Rock facility. She found herself in a darkened hall, with strips of light spilling through cracks at the far end. As she ran forward, the door began to swing open, and intense sunlight struck her eyes as the world was revealed to her once again. She could hear the sounds of battle and the Vertibirds as they took off and fled the scene of destruction. When the door had fully opened, Ana hugged the rifle close to her body, and dashed up the short set of stairs before her. When she reached the short platform, Ana gazed down the slope to see a super mutant pelting lasers from a Gatling gun, like the Enclave soldier had inside, at a hoard of retreating scientists and soldiers. With a second glance, she recognized the shredded vault suit with the stretched _7_ across the back – Fawkes roared in a battle cry as he took fire upon the Enclave, a manic laugh echoing through the sky. Ana tore down the hill towards him, trying to call to him over the sounds of his gun and the roar of the blades from the Vertibirds. As she drew nearer, the facility behind her began to explode. Ana tripped forward from the sheer force, landing hard on her face. She was winded momentarily, but she pushed herself up and looked over her shoulder to see the mountain that housed the Enclave's headquarters blow apart, balls of fire flying through the sky like fireworks. After a moment of watching, Ana realized that the sounds of gun fire had ceased, and the sound of a boot crunching dirt by her face caught her attention. She looked forward, then up, laying eyes on Fawkes's ugly—but welcoming—mug.

"My friend!" he shouted over the sounds of the explosion, leaning down and offering Ana a hand, just like the first time they had met. Ana took it, and Fawkes helped her get to her feet. She brushed off the dirt that had caked onto her knees, then looked back at Fawkes. She had no will left to smile, but she gave her most honest face of gratitude. "I see I've found you at last."

"Thank goodness for that," she said, a slight lopsided grin forming on her face.

"I knew you had survived, and I had hoped to assist in your rescue to repay my debt to you."

"How did you find me here?" Ana asked. She actually had no idea where she was, or how long she had been unconscious between Vault 87 and Raven Rock. If Fawkes could have produced a proper smile, Ana knew that was what would have been on his face right now.

"I saw your capture, and a little cleverness allowed me to follow your captors. I only wish I could have arrived sooner to aid your escape!"

"I'm grateful enough that you're here now," Ana replied truthfully.

"As I owe you my freedom, I felt it was only fair that I return the favour. After all, I know no-one else in this world."

Ana felt something stir in her that was all too familiar, but at the same time painful: friendship. Since her betrayal to Amata, Ana thought she would spend the rest of her days truly alone and in despair. Even though her wounds still bled, Ana welcomed the chance to found a new basis of companionship with another human being. At the same time, however, she had felt extremely guilty; she had with her the FEV virus. After seeing the vase of flowers, the ultimate idea of populating the Wasteland with beauty and life again became a passion she could not ignore. By using it, Fawkes would die. Did she deserve his friendship when her clammy hands of death would claim him so soon?

"I would like that," she managed, fighting off her own internal feelings of self-loathing, "would you come with me to the Citadel?"

"My friend," Fawkes replied, "I would be honoured to follow a hero such as yourself." Ana felt like something hot and sharp was being dragged through her stomach. "Shall we—look out!"

Fawkes grabbed Ana forcefully by the upper arm, then dragged her across the ground. She pumped her feet to keep up with him, and tried to look back at the danger, but his large and over powerful arms did not let her look back. As he propelled her over a rock, they landed heavily on the soil below, and his large and foul smelling body covered over hers as something huge crashed into the boulder behind them. Ana felt Fawkes's body being pushed by the force of the boulder, but his powerful body kept it at bay from rolling over them and crushing them. After a moment's pause, Fawkes straightened himself from Ana, and the girl stood, following suit. Her curiosity led her to walk around the boulder and look at the source of the destruction. Her jaw hung involuntarily from her face as she looked upon the flaming, totaled Vertibird.

"You saved me," Ana said. Her bewilderment was such that the words seemed flat and ungrateful, but the gravity in which she presented them was more than enough to tell Fawkes of her meaning.

"As you did I."

"Fawkes, you owe me nothing, know that before you follow me."

"I will follow you anywhere."

Ana's back was turned from him, and she was thankful for it. Her eyes closed slowly, and her head hung ever so slowly. _Loyalty to the death_. "Let's go."

* * *

Nightfall had fallen upon them well before they made back to the Citadel. Battles waged between the Brotherhood and the Enclave, forcing Fawkes and Ana to duck and run towards the Citadel. Fawkes opted to join the battle, but Ana urged that they had to get to Elder Lyons first, for fighting would only lose them time; every moment counted while the Enclave had the G.E.C.K. and the purifier in hand.

To her astonishment, no one took fire upon Fawkes. She had worried that passionate hostility would be met by Fawkes's presence, but the Brotherhood appeared unhindered by the super mutant. Given that there was a battle at hand, Ana shouldn't have found this surprising, but even the most engaged fighter would take their chances to give a pot shot to a mutant. When Ana and Fawkes approached the gate (which was only open by a few feet), she hoped that the two guards wouldn't attack them.

When Ana saw the Knight's eyes bulge in Fawkes's direction, she felt her feet hesitate and her hands inch towards her rifle on her back, but he gave a quick sudden nod of approval, and kept firing into a mass of Enclave soldiers.

"Ana," Fawkes growled, positioning his Gatling gun, "I'll fight out here, hurry back with news of our progress."

"All right," Ana called, before slipping under the gates and jogging towards the courtyard. If the moment Fawkes offered his companionship to Ana made her feel guilty about her decision to use the FEV virus on the water, their travel to the Citadel was worse. When the two of them traveled side by side through the Wastes, Fawkes recounted the things he had learned from the Vault 87 database that he was granted access to. For all he could tell, he was a resident of the Vault before undergoing his stressful mutations, and that his name was not definitely, but most likely Fawkes. "It was the one name on the list that was coded as a control group specimen."

"Do you remember anything from your past?" Ana asked gently, giving him a sidelong glance.

"No, I'm not even sure how long I was in there. I didn't have a reliable source of time. It couldn't have been an extensive period, else I would have surely gone mad."

"You've no memories of the outside, then?"

"No, all I have are the notes and observances in the notes of Vault 87's database. Other than that, it's a whole new world, and I feel anticipation to exploring it, living a new life."

But he would surely die by her doing. "I felt the same when I first came here," she said solemnly. "Now, I'm not so sure."

"But this life is so rich, so offering; how could one not appreciate the sights and sounds around them? I've never even imagined something so beautiful!"

Beauty in the Wasteland? Compared to the pictures she had seen of the past, the Wasteland was so barren, so hellish. This was not paradise, this was the fall. Inside his reasoning, though, Ana could see where his inspiration and feelings of joy came from. When she stayed couped up in Vault 101 her whole life, her first steps into the Wasteland were ones of respect and wonder. After it had taken everything from her, her mind held a different opinion. But, just maybe, Fawkes had a better chance than she to find his foothold in the world.

The stairway beyond the door was cold compared to the outside, and it surrounded Ana quickly, as if to suffocate her. She jogged the path to the catwalk, which led to the next set of stairs down. With a quick glance up, she could see that the robot had been altered in some way; something about it suggested improvement. When her eyes darted forward again, she saw Rothchild, Elder Lyons, and Sentinel Lyons standing before the robot on the lab floor beneath her, with the Lyons' Pride standing behind their leader. Ana softened her step on the stairs as she got closer in order to listen to their words more carefully.

Sentinel Lyons seemed to shift her feet in frustration, bringing her large gloved hand to her face in a show of anxiety. When she removed her hand again, she looked between the two elder men before her. "All I'm saying is, the longer we fight here and not there, the more time they have to shore up their defences. We should hit them sooner rather than later!"

"We barely have the manpower to keep the Citadel fortified!" her father responded, swooping his arm across to signify the entire Pentagon. "We've been over this before, Sarah."

"So we just wait 'til they decide to barge in and destroy us from the inside?" Sarah retorted, holding her hands out in dismay, "if the Pride goes in now, we might have a chance!"

"And if you fail, then what?" her father suggested darkly, "the risk is not worth the reward."

"I agree," Rothchild added, and with his words, Ana stepped onto the cement floor of the lab. "Without the G.E.C.K., the purifier is useless tot he Enclave, anyway. They may give up before long."

With those words, Ana's entire point of traveling to the Citadel as fast she could came rushing back to her. She started forward towards them with a revived urgency.

"I don't like it," Sarah replied, folding her arms in front of her.

"You don't have to like it, Sarah," Elder Lyons replied sharply, "you just have to follow orders."

Ana walked right up between the two older men, looking up at Elder Lyons. He did a double take, looking at her in surprise. Of course she must have looked different to him. Ana wasn't sure if blood still caked her face, or if he hadn't heard of the change in her appearance before then, but she knew her face must have looked shocking, regardless. Her full, soft, glowing complexion had changed into a hollow, pale, and uninviting face. She was haggard and looked more dreadful, as if she had transformed into a monster. _But I have_, she thought to herself.

"My child, you're back," the Elder said, and everyone looked upon her, expressions of surprise, hope, and triumph on their faces. It made her feel like she had failed twice over. "We had feared both you and the G.E.C.K. were lost. Were you successful?"

"No, Sir," she said quietly. "They have the G.E.C.K. We need to hurry, or we'll lose Project Purity."

His face seemed to instantly shift to shock and alertness, if it wasn't so before. "Then we must go at once!" he said, and Sarah's face seemed to light up further. "If you have any other information, tell me now before we mobilize. Any help you can give might save lives."

Ana's mouth opened before she knew what to say. Slowly, it closed again, and she looked away, furrowing her brow. What would she tell him? That the super mutants were spawning in Vault 87? That she held the deadly FEV virus, the thing that would destroy all so the past could live again? Her hands shifted, and the Elder pressed her. "Well?"

"The Enclave is fractured," Ana finally forced, deciding it was safest to tell him that, "their President was destroyed; they aren't unified, they never really were."

"Hm, perhaps we can use that to our advantage," he said, nodding. Ana bit her lip. If he prompted her for more information, would she lie? "Still, we cannot afford to wait here and see what happens, we must act now."

"Right," Sarah asserted,. "If the Enclave have the G.E.C.K., then there's nothing stopping them from starting the purifier. They'll figure out the code eventually."

"I'm afraid you're right, Sarah," her father agreed, "I'm afraid we must mobilize immediately."

"Then send the Pride in," she seemed to plead, "we can win this, we can fight!"

"All right, Sarah," the Elder said forcefully, as if to try and steady her pushiness, "the Pride goes in. But I want them to have some extra firepower. Rothchild, is it ready?"

"What?" the other man said sharply, physically recoiling. "Well, n-no! Li and I have solved the power problems, but we've only barely finished diagnostic tests." Ana looked up to the robot. So, there were improvements added. It still wasn't enough.

"So?" Lyons prodded.

"It's not ready for field tests, let alone real combat situations; the weapons haven't been calibrated, and the navigation detection system is offline..." Rothchild rambled.

"Rothchild, enough!" the Elder interjected forcefully. "Can you make it work?"

"Honestly, I don't know," the man replied with defeat, glancing up at the robot. "I think we can scrape by, and I suppose if we can't, it won't matter in the long run anyway."

"Then it's decided. Sarah, you take the Pride and use the robot as support. Take our friends here, and secure the purifier!"

"Yes, Sir!" Sarah asserted happily, too happily.

The small crowd seemed to disperse slightly, and Ana saw Vargas motion to her from across the room, along with the rest of the Pride. They were happy to see her. Sarah marched right up to the younger woman, smiling broadly. "Before we get moving," Sarah began, "I wanted to let you know that my father and I have been talking. The Pride and I have decided that after all you've survived, you've done enough to be an honorary member of the Lyons' Pride. So, congratulations. Unfortunately, since we're moving out in the next few minutes," she said, motioning over her shoulder, "we don't have time to train you to wear power armour, but we can give you a clean, fresh set of recon armour."

Ana shook her head. Sarah looked back at her quizzically, but Ana voiced her thoughts. "I must decline your offer, Sarah. I'm sorry."

"Andromeda," Sarah said forcefully, her happy demeanor shifting to annoyance. She opened her mouth to berate the younger woman, but her mouth hung open, then she looked away, sighing angrily. "Winters died after you left. He was shot in a skirmish with the Enclave," she finished, not meeting Ana in the eye.

Ana was about to reply, "who is Winters?" when the soldier's face flashed in her mind, and her face went slack. Ana had no concrete opinion of the man; she had only met him twice, but, after all, he was the man who had saved her life and had shown her how to heal. Before then, Ana had thought little of him, but just then, she felt like she was being pulled into a dark, bottomless abyss. She never got to know him, she never even learned his name before he died.

Her head hung towards the floor, and her eyes fluttered closed. Suddenly, the man she barely knew had become important to her in that instant, as if she hadn't realized that she cared for him before. The notion seemed absurd, but the truth dawned on her that if there was anything that had kept her soul from slipping completely away from the person she used to be, it was him. _Winters...._

"He was a good man, and I know that you two knew each other. If not for me, or for you, join us for him. Take the armour; you'll need it out there."

Sarah handed her a neatly folded pile of stiff material, and Ana lifted her eyes off the floor to the bundle being offered to her. Her hands grasped it gently at the sides, and she took it from the blonde woman, holding it before her. Briefly meeting her gaze, she nodded hard, the feeling of pain and loss painted clearly on her face.

"Can you handle this?" Sarah asked.

"Yes."

"That's what I like to hear, soldier," Sarah replied encouragingly, but her voice was strained. Winter's death appeared to bother her as much as it bothered Ana.

"You can change in that room to the right," Sarah said, motioning behind her. "Star Paladin Cross is in there; she'll help you put the armour on. Make sure you're all prepared; we won't be coming back here soon."

Ana moved towards the room to which Sarah nodded; she could see some Paladins and Knights suiting armour onto themselves. Sarah turned to her collected group of soldiers, and began a speech. "All right, people!..."

Ana entered the room, and her eyes searched the soldiers who checked their weapons and armour. She saw a woman standing in the far corner, adjusting the restraints on her left shin guard. The woman looked up at her, then shifted her legs to adjust the right shin guard. "I heard Sarah mention you need help with armour?" she asked over the sounds of clicks and clanks of equipment. She looked older, yet very tough; her short cropped hair and dark, angular features told Ana she was a woman not to be tampered with.

"Yes," Ana replied as she approached, then set her bundle of armour on the floor before removing her boots.

"I've heard about you around the Citadel," the older woman said, moving to pick up the jump suit on the top of Ana's pile, "you're Andromeda, you're James's daughter."

Ana flickered her eyes in the woman's direction, slipping out of her last boot and working to remove her pants. "Yes."

"I am Star Paladin Cross, keeper of the ARM, and Seneschal to Elder Lyons."

The woman kept looking upon Ana, as if expecting her to react to the name in some way. "It's an honour to meet you," Ana simply replied as she stepped out of her dirty white pants and pulled her beige kangaroo jacket up over her head.

There was a pause until Ana finally pulled the jumpsuit over her body, and looked to the Paladin to help her put the breast plate on. The woman motioned for Ana to lift her arms, and she did so, letting Cross fit the armour to her chest. "I am also honoured to say that I was acquainted with your father," the woman added softly, watching Ana closely.

The girl blinked in surprise, then glanced up at the woman. "You knew my father?" she asked before Cross fit the back of the breast plate onto Ana, and began to place the leg shields on her things.

"I did," the woman said, "and you as well."

Ana was clipping the front of the metal plating onto her breast plate when she paused again. Ana simply stared at the woman, unsure of how to respond, when Cross picked up a shoulder shield, and began to fit it onto Ana's suit.

"Long ago, I helped guard the water purifier against the Super Mutant horde. When your father left, I escorted the two of you to Megaton." She snapped the left shoulder plate in place, then retrieved the belt off the floor, fitting it around Ana (it had a complicated system of attaching to the suit properly, so she helped the girl into it without hesitation). "He was... a noble man. I was saddened to hear of his passing.From what I've heard, however," her eyes lifted to Ana's face for a moment before returning to the belt, "he died with honour. He died for you."

Star Paladin Cross couldn't see it, but Ana's eyes closed gently, then squeezed against the pain of the truth. He did die for his daughter. _Oh, Dad,_ she thought, _am I doing the right thing? _"I only pray that my own death has such meaning."

"As do I," Ana replied, and she grabbed the boots that accompanied the armour, fitting them on. "...I miss him," she added, straightening. She was fully decked.

"And so our deeds are carried on through our children," Cross added. "Continue to remember him fondly, continue to tell his story, and continue to do his work. Through you, he shall carry on."

Ana could hear Sarah give her motivational speech to the Lyons' Pride in the room beyond. "I've told you time and time again, this is what we were born for, this is what we have prepared for our whole lives!..."

"Will you be joining the fight?" Ana asked Cross, the words of Sarah washing over their moment of silence.

"I am assigned to a reserve team, and I'm awaiting the order to go out to the front grounds of the Citadel and battle. I wish I could fight alongside you, Ana, but know that my hopes will be for your success."

"...when we're done with this, everyone can have a nice cold glass of water on me." The Pride cheered.

"Get a move on, Private," Cross said, taking her laser rifle into her hands and giving Ana a firm nod. The younger woman only wished she had met the Star Paladin earlier; she was very motivational, and seemed to invoke a sense of will and strength in Ana. Perhaps that was what she needed for when the time came to use the FEV.

As Ana stepped from the room with Cross at her side, Sarah and her pride glanced at them, nodding once and heading off for the stairs. Directly in front of them, an elevator began to lift the robot from the ground, raising it towards the ceiling. Ana looked up to see two plates slide apart slowly as the robot was lifted closer, and cold night sky was revealed, and the sounds of battle could be heard.

"Thank you, Star Paladin Cross," Ana said to the woman behind her, then followed after the Pride. _But_ _I deserve no such honour,_ Ana thought to herself.

The soldiers picked up their pace, and soon Ana was jogging along behind the line, keeping in step with the oncoming battle. She felt a mix of excitement with dread, but all of that was subdued by an expectation, an understanding of her fate. _I really was born for this,_ Ana's mind concluded, _my very birth is tied to this fight, my very life is for this mission._

When she ran through the doors to the court yard again, she heard her name shouted out over the sounds of the soldier's battle cries and calls. "Over here!" Sarah beckoned, waving a hand over to the side. Ana dodged through the constant line of Paladins and Knights, and stood by Sarah. The rest of the Pride were behind her. "Once I get the clear," she motioned to the small group of backup forces filing towards the battle outside the Citadel, "we're going to follow Liberty Prime to the downtown area. I want you to stay close and stay low; let him do all the work."

"Understood," Ana said.

The line of soldiers were short; either few replacements were actually needed, or the Brotherhood's numbers were dwindling. While the Pride stood in silence, Ana was given the undesired opportunity to visit her thoughts. She had lost so much in so little time; her home, her innocence, her father. At that moment, the fresh sting of Winters's death clung to her attention inexplicably. She barely knew him, why had he become so important to her in his passing? He had told her she could make it, but if he couldn't, how long could she hold out before she was broken completely by the harsh truth of life?

Ana looked to her Pip-Boy, then scrolled through the inventory. She realized she was hungry and thirsty, and she would need whatever she could get before she fought her battle. The fried Iguana appeared in her hand as she recalled it, and she ate it gratefully, quickly. There was half a bottle of purified water left, and although Ana had the suspicion that she would only throw it all back up again, she recalled it too, drinking it all in one gulp.

Ana decided to check her ammo and weapons before they headed out, and she scrolled through the list. She was aware that everyone behind her had fallen silent, and she could feel their eyes study her movements. Was it because Vault technology was interesting, or because everyone seemed to understand her role in this battle? Perhaps it was neither, perhaps they could see through her cover, they could see her true intentions. Shaking off the notion, Ana scrolled to the bottom of the list, and her eyes landed on _COMBAT KNIFE_ at the bottom. Her fingers hesitated as she stared at the word. Winters had given her that knife. _ "Go avenge and revenge, Ana. Take what's yours and give hell back."_

She selected the option to regenerate the item, and it slowly began to form in her hand. Her fingers gripped the handle as it materialized, and she lifted it to her face, studying its features. It was a simple knife, but each scratch and dent had a story, and part of that was Winters's story. Ana slipped the blade into her belt at the hip. _"It won't be helpful against the bad guys, by any means, but it'll help remind you."_

After several minutes, Sarah's hand flew to her ear as she received a transmission. "All right," she said, voice low and full of determination, "let's go."


	13. The Last, Best Hope of Humanity

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_I had a hard time trying to find one particular speech that Three Dog gives about the Lone Wanderer being "The Last, Best Hope of Humanity", but I could recall hearing it in a previous game. Therefore, I played it by ear, and I kinda sorta maybe made it up. If anyone knows where I can find the particular script, point me in the right direction, if you'd be so kind. Oh, and thanks for sticking by me for the story. I'm glad someone's taking some enjoyment out of this besides myself._

Chapter Thirteen: The Last, Best Hope of Humanity

Three Dog made his speech over the radio playing in the middle of the courtyard while The Lyons' Pride and Ana ran past towards the gate. It was wide open now. In the glossed over moonlight, she could see the Washington Monument, erect from the ground, claiming the sky and refusing to relinquish its possession over the land. It's chipped away appearance was haunting and ominous, but at the same time, it was influential. Grasping her laser rifle, Ana dashed forward along side Vargas, trailing Sarah.

"_Okay kiddies, listen up. Throughout my entire career as your host and dutiful jockey, I've reported the scene on the entire Wasteland, telling you what's what and how to get by. For all my listeners out there, I need to tell you, I was wrong. Our friends and protectors, the Brotherhood, have saved us from certain doom by raiders and super mutants many a time, but never has it come to this. In the past few days, I've been telling the story of Miss Vault 101 runnin' from home to find her dad, James. I'm dead serious when I say this; that kid is our last, best hope of humanity, and if it's anyone that's gonna pull us out of this shit hole of a life, it's her. Wherever you are, kid, good luck, and keep Fighting the Good Fight like there's no fuckin' tomorrow."_

Missiles being fired could be heard from beyond the gates, and the ground trembled as they struck. Three Dog's voice faded from her hearing, but Ana clung to those last words. How would she "Fight the Good Fight"? What was best for the Wasteland?

The battle waged on outside; neither side seemed to be losing, but the harshness of battle was absolute. In the distance, Ana could see Fawkes opening fire into a group of Enclave soldiers, side by side with a few other Brotherhood Knights. Overhead, a Vertibrid soared into her view, and she looked up to see smoke and flames come from the cockpit. It tilted at an awkward angle before colliding into the river before the gates, sending water sprouting several feet into the air.

The Pride weaved in between the grand fight, and Ana kicked herself off into a run, following close behind. "Fawkes!" she screamed over the sounds of fighting, "Fawkes, come with us!"

She was certain he would never hear her, but his head turned and his berserk cries ceased. When he saw Ana running across the field, he moved his gun under his arm and onto his back before storming towards her. A few Enclave soldiers took fire upon them, and Ana fired back, never slowing her step. She saw an Enclave soldier fall from her fire before the Pride came into step behind Liberty Prime.

The robot had been moved from the courtyard via crane, and it stood what seemed like fifty feet tall. Loud, bright blue lasers shot out from the robot's eye line, tearing a Vertibird to shreds mid flight and causing it to crash to the ground in an explosion.

"**VOICE MODULE ONLINE**," the robot began, firing its lasers into the far distance at more Enclave soldiers. "**AUDIO FUNCTIONALITY TEST: INITIALIZED. DESIGNATION: LIBERTY PRIME. MISSION: THE LIBERATION OF ANCHORAGE, ALASKA. PRIMARY TARGETS: ANY AND ALL RED CHINESE INVADERS. EMERGENCY COMMUNIST ACQUISITION DIRECTIVE: IMMEDIATE SELF-DESTRUCT. BETTER DEAD THAN RED!**"

If her situation hadn't been more demanding and serious, Ana would have been laughing herself silly at that moment. She scanned the area diligently, searching for threats as they started across the steel bridge. As Liberty Prime's foot came down on the flimsy structure, Ana feared it would break apart under his step, but it held strong. His lasers kept firing at enemies her naked eye couldn't see, but from within the dark, foggy night, another missile soared towards them, right for Liberty Prime.

"Get down!" Sarah yelled shrilly over the dooming noise, and everyone dove to the ground, covering their heads. Ana felt her body pushed away from the impact of the missile, and she lifted her head quickly to assess the damage. Her first thought was that the robot would have received a critical hit and shut down, but it stood tall still, and continued to fire at the hidden enemy.

"**DEMOCRACY IS NON-NEGOTIABLE!**"

They crossed the bridge together, entering into another battle. Several Brotherhood soldiers stood behind small fortifiers, taking fire at the Enclave soldiers who stood on the up lifted bridge that rose into the east. A huge translucent wall of a photon generated barrier glowed in the night, blocking their path. Ana reloaded her gun, making sure to stay under cover of the seemingly indestructible robot. Lasers and bullets bounced off its armour, but it kept stomping onward, shaking the earth beneath its steps. Ana hung back with Vargas, falling to one knee and opening fire at the soldiers on the upraised bridge. Their shots were futile, however, for A single blue beam swept across the bridge, felling all the soldiers before the robot. It approached the wall, kicking a remaining soldier with a swinging step. The man flew into the photon barrier, disintegrating upon impact.

"**OBSTRUCTION DETECTED. COMPOSITION: TITANIUM ALLOY SUPPLEMENTED BY PHOTONIC RESONANCE BARRIER. PROBABILITY OF MISSION HINDRANCE—**" the robot stepped into the photon barrier, and the wall dissipated instantly, the pillars generating the wall on either side crumbling to the ground, "**—ZERO PERCENT!**"

"In coming!" Vargas yelled, grabbing Ana by the collar and pulling her to the ground with him. Ana's hands let go of her rifle, and instinctively went to her head. A missile knifed itself into the ground twenty feet to their right, and Ana was tossed into the air and thrown a couple feet from her spot on the ground. She called out, flailing her limbs to find earth again, and she landed ungracefully on the cracked pavement five feet away. Ana fought to regain the breath hat had been knocked from her lungs, and she looked around, finding her laser rifle in pieces. Vargas ran up next to her, pulling her to her feet. "There's no time, let's move!"

Liberty Prime had already began infiltrating the Enclave beyond the broken photon barrier, and a few members of the Pride ran up the slope of the bridge after him. Ana let Vargas lead the way, and Fawkes came into step next to Ana. "Are you all right, friend?"

"Yes," she said breathlessly, "just unarmed."

"We will protect you," he said, "I will not let you be harmed."

There it was again, that insistent pang of guilt. "Thank you."

They reached the top of the slope, and a hail storm of bullets and lasers surrounded them. A missile collided with the bridge to their left, and Ana ducked as she ran, throwing her hands over her head. The robot's beams were rapid and powerful, and several dormant vehicles erupted into explosion in its wake. She could hear the angry screams of the Enclave as the robot swept through their defences like a man would an ant's, and she fought to keep her balance amidst the powerful force of the detonations.

They ran to the end of the bridge, following Liberty Prime's heavy footsteps. At the end of the road, a Vertibird lay in flames, blocking the path. Without so much as a hesitation, the robot turned left down the road, and the Pride followed.

"ANA!" Fawkes cried behind her. She had fallen right into step behind the robot, and she did not see the danger ahead. All she could see was Fawkes running towards her manically, and she looked ahead of her again to see what panicked him. Ana didn't have time to observe the situation before a missile struck the ground before her feet, sending her flying.

Ana's head must have been injured in the initial impact, for she could not feel her body strike the ground again several feet away. She lay there motionless, her breathing shallow. All she could see was the blurry road before her, and all she could hear was her quiet, slow breathing and the faint sounds of shouts from a battle. There were thuds of explosions and lasers going off all around her, but the feelings were subdued. Suddenly, something strong pulled her onto her back, and she looked into the face of Fawkes drearily, the night sky shrouding his head.

Sarah appeared into view a few moments later, and Ana tried to focus her eyes on the woman. She pulled something out into view, and Ana caught only a glimpse of the thing before it was injected into her arm. It felt like an uncomfortable warmth, and she recognized the effects as medicinal components from a stimpak. "I only have one," a far off voice said, but it seemed to be Sarah's, "her left leg is heavily injured, but I can't do anything about it right now. Can you help her walk?"

Fawkes nodded. Ana smiled before she knew why, then the thought _they seem to be getting along_ drifted through her head. Sarah's face disappeared, and Fawkes hauled Ana up as gently as possible, hanging on to her side and forcing her to move her legs in a jog. "Ow," Ana said, her voice seeming to be the only clear thing she could hear, "slow down."

"We cannot stop now, Ana! We need to keep moving!"

They ran down the hill after the Pride and Liberty Prime, and Fawkes tried to guide her behind the robot's path to keep Ana protected from attack. Her head began to clear, and the throbbing pain in her leg became more apparent. "Ow!" she called out more harshly again, reaching for her crippled limb and depending her weight more on Fawkes's strength. He didn't seem to mind, and he carried her along while she tried lamely to run along with her good leg. The robot seemed to pause mid step, and shift his feet backward then forward rapidly. Ana realized it was throwing something. A small missile flew from his hand, and Ana looked up in time to see a mininuke launch fly through the air, connecting with a pedway between the two buildings above and beyond them. Her free hand flew to her ear, trying to block out the roaring noise of the explosion.

"**COMMUNISTS DETECTED ON AMERICAN SOIL! LETHAL FORCE ENGAGED!**"

Fawkes's hand (which was twice the size of Ana's head) came down across her crown, gently pushing her into a crouch, protecting her from the crossfire. Ana tried to force herself onto her legs gradually, swinging them into motion of a run with Fawkes's steps. Another missile struck the ground behind them, and Ana felt Fawkes's body propel forward from the impact. "Vargas! Colvin!" Sarah cried, and Ana strained to look over her shoulder. The two Paladins laid dead amongst the rubble. Vargas's arms and legs splayed wide and his head tilted towards the sky, and Colvin lie crumpled at his side. _No, no, must everyone die?_

_Must everyone die for the future, Ana?_

Ana squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth, baring against the sight of Vargas's body and the implications of her own thoughts on her intentions. Fawkes's direction suddenly diverted from forward to right, and he dragged Ana across the road as Liberty Prime fired nearly every weapon it had to keep the Enclave at bay. "**FREEDOM IS THE SOVEREIGN RIGHT OF EVERY AMERICAN!**" the robot declared.

Before long, Fawkes began to lead Ana up the hill again, and she tested out her leg for running. It hurt like hell, but she forced herself to keep it down, to move it in unison with Fawkes's steps. She would not be a burden on anyone, including her new found friend. They followed the road behind Liberty Prime, keeping out of range as the machine destroyed every obstacle in its path with ease. Soon, the bridge leading to the Jefferson Memorial was laid before them, and the remainder of the Lyons' Pride began to cross, taking fire across the Enclave soldiers in their path.

"Let me down, Fawkes," Ana tried to shout over the sounds of the battle, "they need your help, you can't fire when you're holding on to me!"

"Will you manage?" he asked, his loud and harsh voice possessing the slightest notion of caution.

"I'll be fine, just put me down!"

As soon as he let her go, she wished he hadn't. Instead of helping her to the ground, her dropped her, and she landed painfully on her wounded leg. She screamed in agony briefly, clutching onto her thigh and falling on her right knee. Fawkes seemed to linger to ensure she would stand again, and this made Ana force herself to her feet. She hobbled across the bridge with the men and women of the Lyons' Pride and Fawkes, ensuring to keep under cover of Liberty Prime's feet. Missiles were still fired at them from Vertibirds that could not be seen, and Ana pushed herself forward through the pain, praying she would not be struck again.

Paladin Gale fell on their trek across the bridge, and Sarah called out in agony; a sound Ana had never thought she would hear come from the strong hearted woman. She had lost all of her companions in a matter of minutes. In the back of her mind, Ana knew that she could connect with the woman on a new level now; they both knew of suffering.

At the end of the bridge, Ana could make out the faint glittering of another photon barrier, except the one before them was considerably larger, and consisted of more than one wall. Ana only hoped Liberty Prime would be able to fell the wall as it did the first, but she was concerned about the power it had left. Hopefully, it still had enough reserve to at least destroy the wall so the party of three could continue on to the memorial.

"**OBSTRUCTION DETECTED. COMPOSITION: TITANIUM ALLOY SUPPLEMENTED BY ENHANCED PHOTONIC RESONANCE BARRIER. ESTABLISHED STRATAGEM: INADEQUATE! REVISED STRATAGEM: INITIATE PHOTONIC RESONANCE OVERCHARGE.**"

Ana mentally crossed her fingers, and limped along behind the robot, keeping her head low. There were no more Enclave soldiers left standing, but she was still aware of danger in the area. When the robot came to a stop in front of the wall, Ana paused too, watching in earnest as the mechanical arms lifted to the poles on each side, absorbing the energy from the wall. The huge machine began to shake, and the photonic resonance glowed throughout Liberty Prime, energy sparking off its form. Ana looked up at it, her eyes growing wide. It was sacrificing itself—out of programming, of course—but the act had a profound effect on Ana. The night was illuminated by the glow emanating from the robot, and the ground trembled as its form shook. Suddenly, Fawkes's hand came down on her shoulder, and dragged her backwards. She fought to keep her eyes locked on the robot as she hobbled back with Fawkes, and she saw as Liberty Prime's arms fell limp from the poles that no longer generated the photonic barrier, and it slowly tipped backwards. Metal groaned and creaked as the robot fell towards the earth, and it collided into the crumbled road hard, causing Ana to be lifted off the ground momentarily. Fawkes stopped pulling her, and they looked upon the machine, flabbergasted. Sarah ran up behind them, panting slightly. "There's no time to lose—we have to get to the purifier's control room!"

Without answering, the three of them ran forward, into the small field that crested the memorial. As they dashed across, a hail of bullets flew at them. "Shit!" Ana shouted, ducking her head and trying to make her way across the field without getting hit. Four Enclave soldiers stood on the ramps that ascended over the pipes, and each of them shot mercilessly at the group, trying to hinder their progress.

"Yaaaaaagh!" Fawkes shouted, pulling his Gatling gun and spraying fire upon the group. The four men dispersed slightly, then a few fell to their demise. Fawkes relentlessly fired upon the last soldier until he too met his fate.

"Ana," he shouted, and the girl paused in her step with Sarah, turning back to Fawkes. "I'll hold them off out here, you get to the purifier!"

Somehow, she felt less guilty that way. Fawkes would no be there when she put the FEV virus into the water, he would not see her betrayal of him. "All right," she replied, "just don't get yourself killed!"

"AAAAH-HAHAHAHA!"

"Come on, soldier, lets _move!_" Sarah commanded, putting a hand on Ana's back and leading her toward the gift shop door. Just before they entered they entered the building, Ana saw the sun rise into the sky just beyond the memorial before darkness shrouded her again.

They ran along the rubble ridden hallway towards the gift shop's entrance, and the constant use of her leg subdued the pain for Ana. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sarah remove a grenade from her hip, her finger poised on the pin. When they came to the junction in the hallway, Sarah motioned for Ana to hug the wall with her. When they were both hidden against the wall, Sarah pulled the pin, and tossed it against the adjacent wall leading to the gift shop, and bounced it inside.

"Look out!" an Enclave soldier bellowed from within, just before the grenade exploded, leaving silence in its wake.

"Come on!" Sarah beckoned, pivoting on her heel into the gift shop and running along. Ana followed closely, finding a pattern in her step to minimize the pain in her leg. She became aware of the bleeding in her leg, and as the blood seeped from her body, she could nearly feel her skin boil with radiation. She felt her stomach churn unpleasantly again. _Not now,_ she begged herself, but she stumbled forward anyway, retching onto the floor.

"Egh, kid, you okay?" Sarah called behind her, then ducked as laser flew past her head. Ana forced herself to puke up the rest of her stomach's contents, then pushed herself to her feet. "Let's go!" Sarah called, pulling another grenade and throwing it at the group of soldiers that attacked her. Lifting her laser pistol, she took fire at her own trajectory weapon, and exploded it mid air, in between all the soldiers. They fell over, if not incapacitated, then dead, and Ana rushed after Sarah as she dashed for the Jefferson Rotunda door. The blonde woman tore open the door, and Ana followed.

As they darted inside, the cocking of guns could be heard, and the two of them stopped in their tracks. Two Enclave soldiers took aim at Ana and Sarah, and in between the two of them, Colonel Autumn stood at the foot of the stairs leading to the purifier.

"You again," he said distastefully, waving his gun threateningly at Ana and glaring her down. Her eyes heated up, and she gave the most hated stare she could.

"I can't say I'm surprised," he continued, stepping forth slowly, "you and your ilk seem hell-bent on destroying everything our government has worked to achieve. There's nothing to stop me from killing you this time," he said with a sinister smile, "let's get this over with."

"You've lost, Autumn," Ana forced, "give up."

"I beg to differ!" he countered, "the Enclave is at the height of its power. Once this facility is operational, the masses will flock to the Enclave for fresh water, protection, and a plan for the future."

"Raven Rock is destroyed, and the President has shut himself down. You've got nothing left."

"You're in over your head," Autumn said with a nasty chuckle, "and no amount of talking is going to get you out of it. Once you're dead, we'll finish off this pathetic Brotherhood and become the true saviours of the Wasteland." He aimed his gun at Ana. "This ends NOW!"

Sarah bellowed, lifting her pistol and firing rapidly into the face of the nearest soldier. Ana ducked instinctively, throwing herself into a roll. The next soldier fired at Sarah, and she sidestepped quickly, dealing the fatal shot to the first soldier. As Ana righted herself, she jumped forward to hide behind a pillar, flinching as she heard the bullet's of Colonel Autumn's gun bounce off the iron. Sarah screamed as the plasma gun of the second soldier destroyed part of her armour, and she fired back, dodging behind another source of cover. "Come out and finish this, rebel scum!" the Colonel growled at Ana, taking another shot at the pillar she stood behind.

Her anger seemed to increase tenfold, and she felt the pain and frustration of everything that happened to her control her mind. With a strong, ferocious scream, Ana whipped around from behind the pillar, and lunged herself at Autumn. He fired his gun at her, penetrating her chest and her arms, before she collided with him, pushing him up against the railing of the stairs behind him. He looked down into her face, which was inches from his, as she howled at him, her features contorted with rage. She pulled herself away, and the Colonel's face remained in utter shock as his hands slowly reached for the knife implanted in his belly. He slid down the railing until he slumped on his rear, and he simply stared back into the furious eyes of his killer.

Ana had no words for her victim, only the weight of her eyes and her face. She would be the last thing he would ever see, and he would carry her memory to the gates of Hell, and he would remember his fatal mistake as crossing her path. His eyes half closed, and he slumped a bit more into the ground. He was dead.

Ana then groaned, suddenly aware of the bullet wounds that poured blood freely from her body. Ana grabbed at them and fell back, trying to put pressure on her wounds. Footsteps clanked on the iron floor behind her, and Ana slowly turned her head around. Had Sarah won, or was she about to meet her fate at the hands of an Enclave soldier?

"Oh my God, Ana," Sarah said, kneeling down and checking the girl's wounds, "why the hell were you so careless?"

"Anger does funny things to people," she declared weakly, offering a fluttering laugh.

Sarah couldn't help herself; she smiled slightly in return, then shook her head. "God dammit, kid...."

"_Hello?_" a voice came from over the intercom on the stairs above, "_hello, is anyone there?_"

Sarah looked up towards the intercom, then back at Ana. "Come on," she urged, "let's get this room secured."

Sarah dragged Ana to her feet, and the young girl struggled to stay upright. She followed Sarah up the stairs meekly, trying to keep up her pace. When Sarah reached the top, she punched the button to the intercom, and said: "Doctor Li? It's Sarah. I'm here with Ana. What's going on?"

"_I've been monitoring the equipment remotely, and we have a serious problem._"

As Ana hobbled to the top of the stairs, she paused, looking between Sarah and the intercom. A sense of dread washed over her as she realized she was standing next to the purifier, and her intended mission flashed before her eyes. With the words from Doctor Li, however, something else worried Ana more. She could tell from the sound of her voice that things were about to go horribly wrong.

"_The facility has been damaged during the fighting; some of it looks accidental, some of it may have been sabotage..._ _there's pressure building up in the holding tanks. It needs to be released now or the whole facility could explode!_"

Sarah glanced over to Ana with a look of disbelief and worry, and Ana returned the expression.

"_The only way to release the pressure is to turn the purifier on. Do you understand me?_" Doctor Li's voice raised, becoming more demanding and forceful, "_it needs to be turned on _now!"

"What does that imply?" Sarah asked, her arm leaning heavily against the all as she listened. Ana's eyes closed; she knew what it meant.

"_If I'm reading this right, I'm afraid there are lethal levels of radiation inside the chamber. I'm sorry, I wish there was some other way, but there's just no time. It has to be done now, or the damage will be catastrophic._"

There was silence on the other end, and Sarah turned around solemnly, a look of defeat on her features. "Well, so much for celebrating," she seemed to sigh. Ana looked back at her, Doctor Li's words sinking in between them. "One of us is going to have to go in there and turn the damned thing on, and whoever goes in isn't coming out."

"I heard."

"Not exactly how I imagined going out, you know?" Sarah said, and despite herself, she smiled crookedly. "Well, what should we do, draw straws?"

Ana simply looked back at Sarah, then let her eyes drift to the open bulk head door ahead. Her eyes lingered over the spot where her father used to lay. His body was gone. Who removed their bodies? Why? _He's gone, he's gone._

"No."

Sarah gave Ana a quizzical look, but Ana shook her head, her jaw clenching and her feet shifting as she fought off the pain of her multiple injuries. "No, I'll do it. I'll start the purifier." She wanted to say it was because she honoured her father, but it was also because she had the answer for the past in her hands.

Sarah looked back at Ana with a soft face, long and hard. She swallowed noticeably, then said quickly: "You're going to have to be quick about it. If the radiation is as bad as Doctor Li says, you won't have much time."

Ana didn't meet her eyes, but she nodded. Then, unexpectedly, Sarah stepped forward, resting her hands on Ana's shoulders. "... I won't forget what you've done here, Andromeda," she said softly, "no one will. Thank you."

Ana averted her eyes, and without replying, she hobbled towards the purifier door, letting Sarah's hands slip from her shoulders. This was it. This truly was her destiny. Even before she was born, her life was tied to this moment. This is who she was, this is her only purpose. She didn't care about death now; she was close enough to it as it was, with her various injuries bleeding life out of her, and radiation wracking her body with pain. She'd outlived her time in the Wasteland. Mostly, Ana found that she had nothing left to live for.

As Ana walked into the bulkhead, she heard her Geiger counter begin to tick. Ignoring the warnings from her Pip-Boy, her eyes landed upon the chemical filtration panel, and she slowly lifted her hand to search her inventory. She would recall the FEV virus and implant it into the chemical filtration system. Her finger lingered over the _recall_ button for the vile, and she stared at the panel, thinking long and hard.

When President Eden had explained to her the consequences and advantages to the FEV virus, Ana was vaguely convinced. When she saw the vase of flowers sitting there next to the monitor, however, she had never felt more moved. Life could begin again, the past could have a chance to re-enter the world. Without warning, her mind began to race. She had been in this position before, this had happened to her already. Her eyes darted around the room, and her face softened.

She had the opportunity to destroy Megaton, to erase the past from the world, try to give it a clean slate. Was a clean slate what they all needed, though? Couldn't life rebuild from where it was now?

"_Other than that, it's a whole new world, and I feel anticipation to exploring it, living a new life.... But this life is so rich, so offering; how could one not appreciate the sights and sounds around them? I've never even imagined something so beautiful!"_

"_You have to know these things. I'm not going to be around to hold your hand forever."_

"Kid, what're you doing?"

Why did the past have to live again? Couldn't the life that existed now have a chance to live? Just because the pictures in the textbooks described a utopia of life and greenery, didn't mean the Wasteland that existed now had no capabilities of existence and renewal. Super mutants, ghouls, mutated creatures—they all were forms of life, and they lived now. The past had no right to displace the present. Gob, Fawkes, all of them—no greenery could ever replace their lives.

Ana pressed the button furiously on her Pip-Boy, and let the virus form in her hands. With one swift motion, she raised her arm above her head and chucked the vile into the ground, smashing it into pieces on the floor. She spat at the broken shards bitterly, then turned to the bulkhead door, pressing the button to open it.

Silence mixed with the sounds of the churning generators and the insistent tick of the Geiger counter were Ana's only company. She stepped forward cautiously, then she felt it; the familiar tingling and uncomfortable heat of radiation. Every inch that she stepped closer, she could feel it bog down on her more and more, and she squinted her eyes closed as she stumbled forward to the control panel. The feeling was unbearable; it was as if each and every one of her cells were alive with unwarranted electricity, and her body roiled in pain and discomfort. Ana gasped out loud and tumbled forward, leaning against the panel. It was too much, the radiation was extensive. _But you have to act quick, Ana, you have to act now._ The Geiger counter on her Pip-Boy ticked wildly, so rapid and erratic, that the needle broke off, and hung suspended by the glass bubble that protected it.

She forced her eyes open, and looked at the keyboard before her. Numbers 0-9 were listed on the panel, with ENTER as one long key on the side. Ana looked upon the keys in horror, then she realized she had no idea what the code was. _Oh, no,_ she thought to herself, and her eyes squeezed shut against the pain again. What is the code? Oh my God, what is the code?!

Once again, as terror and tension plagued Ana's mind, she felt the familiar sensation of calm peace fill her as the memory that gave her comfort came forth. Her father's smile was knowing and kind as he held her, and he pointed to the framed passage on the bedside table. Ana's eyes opened gently, and she looked upon the keyboard, wondering why she hadn't known before.

"_If you're still there, the purifier needs to be activated NOW! The pressure is building rapidly, the facility can't hold out much longer!_"

Her hands trembled as she lifted them to push in the code, and as she hit the enter key, she felt the generators kick in immediately. Her body was so weak that she stumbled back from the force, and her head hung low towards her feet. A light filled the room (or was that just her eyes shutting down?) and she grabbed onto the panel for support as she looked up into the window in front of her.

The water seemed to move around as the purifier began to do its work from the inside, and Ana thought she could make out a shape in the middle of the machine, like some sort of statue. She tried to widen her eyes to see inside, and she saw a man.

"Dad...?"

Her hands slipped from the control panel, and she fell forward onto her knees. She fought to keep her eyes on the window, but her body slumped to the side, and the sight of the statue slipped away. The pain didn't exist when she fell onto her arm, and the feeling in her body began to melt away as the radiation claimed her body. Her eyes stayed locked towards the window, and a small genuine smile formed on her lips for the first time since she had lost everything.

The light got brighter in her eyes, and she swore she saw the stature move towards her and offer a hand. "I'm coming with you," she muttered, before her vision blurred to darkness and her body went slack.

* * *

_To be concluded..._


	14. Legend of the Wasteland

_Notes: I do not own Fallout 3 or any of it's affiliates. This is hardly original, but it's really fun for me!_

_I wanted to prolong the wonderousness of updating and writing this story. Well... not really writing this story. It was all pre-written, so all I had to do was edit my chapters and post them twice a week. But this part was originally attached to the last chapter, and I didn't want it to end, even though I said "fuck it," and updated before Monday. It's over. Besides, I've got a teeny thirteen reviews, so that must mean.. 8 of you are awaiting my chapters. Traffic says there's 200+ hits every update, but I think someone's hacking it to make me feel better._

_But, thanks to those of you special readers for joining in, and I hoped you enjoyed my novelization of Fallout 3._

Chapter Fourteen: Legend of the Wasteland

Amata led her string of followers through the ruins of Springvale, her eyes darting side to side and her brow sweating copiously. Everyone behind her grabbed the arm of the person in front of them, letting Amata lead them across the dangerous and barren Wasteland. They had just left the Vault for the first time, and each and every one of them was gripped with fear. The sights, the sounds, the feelings—they were all foreign entities that had never touched them down in the Vault. It was hard to imagine life surrounded in these elements all the time. _Oh, Ana,_ Amata thought reluctantly, _how do you survive in a place like this?_

"Hey," Freddie Gomez interjected, letting go of Christine Kendal's arm and pointing to the ground just beside Amata, "what's that?"

They all snapped their heads in the direction of Freddie's gesture, feeling fear before they even saw the subject. Amata's brow knitted in curiosity, and she slowly stepped away from Butch's firm grip, shoving him slightly when he whimpered and tried to cling to her harder. She knelt down beside the thing, and nudged it with a hand. It was about the size of a skull, and it had several antennae protruding from its front and extending back. A grill lined the front of its "face", and she tilted the thing towards the light (which drew a mutter of fear from everyone behind her) and peered in between the slits. Amata could barely make out a camera lens, but it was shattered down the middle.

"Whatever it was," Amata said, dropping the thing and resuming her position in front of Butch, "it's not functional anymore."

She continued to lead them cautiously through the town, and as they reached the end, they saw a sign with _MEGATON _sprawled across it in large yellow letters. "Hey, hey! That's the town mentioned on the Overseer's terminal, right, Amata?"

"Yeah," she replied to Christine without looking back, "it is."

They followed the cracked and incomplete road up the hill of which the sign indicated, and when they reached the top, everyone seemed to gasp out loud in amazement. Megaton stood tall in the distance, its tall walls invoking feelings of intimidation and fear in everyone but Amata. "Look, let's just go back," Butch whined, tugging on Amata's sleeve, "it's fucking dangerous out here!"

"Then maybe Megaton will be willing to help," Amata said forcefully, "if Ana could do this, so can we."

Everyone fell silent. They knew of Amata's vehement vendetta against her old friend, and they knew that every time Amata brought her up, it meant she was annoyed, angry, and short on patience. They all shut up after that, and followed Amata reluctantly down the hill, refusing to let go of the person's arm in front of them.

After climbing the short valley toward the town, Amata flinched backward in surprise, throwing her arms out and backing away from the large animal and the two people, trying to protect her charge. All of the Vault dwellers yelped, cowering behind Amata as she glared down the Wastelanders menacingly. "Back off," she warned with venom, "don't try anything stupid."

One man, who wore a dirtied yellow jump suit, eyed Amata up and down with a queer eye. Suddenly, she saw his expression change, and he shifted the ball cap on his head, smiling and moving his body towards her in a friendly expression. "Hey, you're from Vault 101, too?" he said cheerfully, looking to his female companion (who wore mean looking armour and an assault riffle on her back), "they're from the same Vault that girl is!"

At this statement, everyone seemed to stand just a bit taller, and Amata's arms lowered slightly; they meant no harm. She looked between the two people in front of her with the same defensive expression on her face, trying to figure them out. "Ana was here?"

"If that's her name, yeah," the man replied, motioning to Megaton, "that girl is a _saint_. Wouldn't believe what she's done for Megaton, for the Wasteland, even. If you're looking for her, though, she's long gone. Hasn't shown her face around here since she disarmed the atomic bomb."

"What?" Mr. Brotch said, exasperated, "my student disarmed an _atomic bomb?_"

"That and more," the man said, motioning over his shoulder to the east, "she fixed the broadcast signal for Galaxy News Radio, and now the entire Capital Wasteland can hear his voice for miles. Unbelievable woman, she is."

"Wow..." Paul muttered under his breath, shaking his head in utter disbelief. Him and Ana had always been intellectual rivals, if not misunderstood childhood rivals, and the fact that she repaired a radio signal before he could bogged him.

Amata ignored all of these things, however, and stepped forward as she interjected the man. "Listen, we just want to get into Megaton, find some protection, we don't want any trouble."

"...right," the man said, giving her the same odd look, "well, I'm sure as hell not stopping you, go ahead, the gate's wide open, for God's sake."

Amata looked to the entrance, and found that it was indeed wide open. A Protectron stood at the front, spewing off odd messages and rotating back and forth, scanning for hostile targets. "**HOWDY, PARTNER....**"

Amata was finding her entire ordeal a bit too surreal, and she shook her head again, but this time at herself. She squinted her eyes shut, and nodded towards the man. "Thanks."

"Hey, no problem," he said, but his words seemed tainted with sarcasm. "Well, if you need anything, this caravan sells weapons. We usually make our rounds weekly, so feel free to seek us out and trade when you're ready."

"Will do!" Butch said a little too enthusiastically, waving to the man in the jumpsuit and latching on to Amata's suit as she walked on towards the town. As the string of people passed the caravan, they all waved to the couple and their strange, large, red animal.

Harith watched after them as they clambered inside the gates of Megaton. "That girl came from the same Vault they did?" he asked rhetorically, turning to his bodyguard. The woman shrugged, scoffing at their trail. "No fuckin' way. That girl was a lot more swift than those bunch."

"Well, it takes the right person to step out, I guess," the body guard replied, and leaned up against the Brahmin lazily, pulling a smoke from her pocket.

As the group stepped into the town, Mr. Brotch slid the huge door closed behind them, and they stood clumped together in unease, looking over the town. It was dirty, so dirty in comparison to how the Vault used to be, and the way it was constructed out of scrap metal left them all feeling a bit more out of their element. Amata scanned the buildings from left to right, then peered down the crater. If Ana was here, she wasn't sure what she'd do.

She heard someone's footsteps scuttle to a stop in the dirt to her right, and everyone turned their heads in the direction of the noise. A tall, dark man in a long cloak and a cowboy hat looked them over with the same face as the caravan merchant had just outside the town. "You all startin' a trend now, or somethin'?"

Amata didn't quite understand the implications of his question, so she continued with the speech she had rehearsed since the day they all decided to leave the Vault, since the night they narrowly avoided certain death by her father's old guards. "Sir, my name is Amata, and I am the Overseer of Vault 101. We were forced from our home due to civil conflict, and we're in search of refuge. Could you offer us any protection or shelter?"

The man didn't reply, but he scratched his bushy beard while looking them over again. "You friends with that lone wanderer from Vault 101?"

Amata felt herself losing patience by the second; the more she heard of Ana, the more she wanted to scream. "You could say that."

"Well, I suppose I could trust you in my town. To answer your question, though, no. I don't have any room for you. This town is packed as it is. Feel free to stay as long as you like, but I've got no shelter for ya, sorry."

Amata clenched her fists and turned away, her eyes shutting to try and suppress the anger. She really screwed this one up. How was she going to lead everyone to safety if there was no safety left in the Wasteland?"

The dark man seemed to see Amata's distress, and he sighed, shifting his boots. "You know what, I don't have a bed for each of ya, but I have the deed to one house I could give you. I was hopin' to hand it over to Miss Vault 101 herself, but she never came back, like she said she wouldn't."

Amata whipped herself around to the man, then stepped towards him, her face lighting up with hope. "You would let us take the house?"

"Yeah, why not. It's been empty for a few months now, and I've been reluctant to give it up, but... if any of you are half as decent as she was, then I know you deserve it. On her behalf, anyway."

"Oh, thank you, Mr...?"

"Lucas Simms," he replied, pulling a slip of paper and a key from his pocket and handing it to Amata. "This is all I can offer you, though. If you want food, you're gonna have to get caps for that. If you're just as clueless as that other girl was when she first got here, that means you're gonna have to find your own work. I'd ask around town to see if anyone's lookin'."

"Thank you, Mr. Simms."

"Yeah," he muttered, nodding wearily and stepping away from the group. They watched him go, and he muttered something under his breath, pointing up to the building on the immediate left. Everyone looked to the building, and Amata gripped the key in her fingers.

They approached the house cautiously, stepping over the water pipe that ran down the slope and finding their way clumsily to the stairs. After a moment of studying, Amata slipped the key into the lock, turning it gently (for if she broke the key trying to open their only source of refuge, she would surely explode into an unparalleled fit of rage). The door clicked open, and the flimsy door opened slowly on its hinge, offering passage to the former residents of Vault 101. Amata stepped inside, looking around the shabby house. A few lockers and tables stood in the barren room, and sunlight seeped through shallow points in the walls. The group followed Amata in, and Christine sighed lamely. "Well, at least it's something," she offered, lifting her hands and slapping them against her thighs in a sign on defeat. Amata nodded, looking up the stairs. There were two rooms up there. Looking straight again, she could see shelves lining the walls, leading to a room around the bend which was presumably a kitchen.

"All right," she declared, "we should be fine here. I'm going into town to get some information. We meet back here at nine o'clock tonight and get our plans together, figure out what we're going to do from here."

"Hey, hey," Butch interjected, waving a hand in the air at Amata, "who said you got to call the shots? We ain't in the Vault no more, little sister, you ain't the Overseer out here."

"Fine," she retorted, "if you're so Waste smart, do whatever you want. But this is _my_ house, as I hold the deed, so if you don't like the rules we play by, then you can get lost."

"Ah, up yours, princess," Butch replied, then left the house, "I'll be back whenever."

As he disappeared into the town, Amata nodded. "Now that that's out of the way, are we all agreed?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Do what you like until nine, but I suggest you spend that time trying to find... oh, what's that called...?"

"Caps."

"Yes, currency... whatever constitutes a cap." Amata nodded to herself, then scanned the deed and the house key into her Pip-Boy. "I'll see you all later, then."

Amata reluctantly stepped out into the harsh sun again, and made her way around the deck of the house towards the stairs that led to the bottom of the crater. _The Brass Lantern_ was on her right at the bottom of the hill, while a clinic stood to the left. When she rounded the bar, she could see a huge atomic bomb sitting in a puddle of water, while a few people stood around it, their heads bowed and mumbling quietly to themselves. Amata eyed them curiously, when she turned and bumped into a body. She recoiled immediately, balling her fists as if prepared to fight. Her eyes looked up to the figure, slightly silhouetted by sunlight, and he peered down at her, taking a swig of some sort of odd amber liquid.

"For all that's fucking holy," the man growled in a deep, rough voice. "More Vault assholes. You motherfuckers just pop up out of the ground like mole rats, you know that? Fucking Christ...."

The man walked away, barking to himself angrily and drinking his foul drink. Amata watched him go, then straightened, brushing off the incident. When she turned her attention to the front again, she spotted a set of stairs leading up. A small sign that read _Moriarty's Saloon_ was attached to a rusted iron pole beside the stairs, and Amata decided to start there. She climbed the stairs with laboured steps, then rounded her way across the walkways above towards the saloon.

It was darker, more damp, and unpleasantly warm inside the bar. A few Wastelanders sat at the tables scattered around the bar floor. Amata eyed the entire place, noticing the vacant rooms that lined the walls on the open second floor. In front of her was a bar counter, and a group of people were huddled over on their stools, drinking from Nuka-Cola glasses and old beer bottles. With hesitant steps, Amata approached the bar, and sat down on the stool nearest to the functioning radio. A pre-war jingle was playing on the small device, and Amata watched it curiously, trying to decipher the song. She knew she heard it on some old holotape before, she just couldn't remember the title—

"Hey, another Vaultie," a man said from behind the counter. Amata jumped slightly at the sound; the voice was raspy, like the bearer had had a cold for several years of his life. She turned her head towards the man, and yelped, jumping back off the stool. A man's face—or what used to be a man's face—had leaned in towards her. His skin was rotten looking and falling off in certain places on his body, while his hair only remained in patches on top of his head. To top off his terrifying features, his nose was no longer present, and his eyes were clouded over, like he had already died. The man seemed to deflate slightly when Amata called out, and a few people at the bar chuckled. He leaned back from the bar, and took his eyes away, wiping down the counter top.

The look on his deadened face told Amata that she had truly hurt his feelings. He looked like a zombie, but from his emotional reaction to her exuberant response, she could tell that he was truly just an unfortunate human deep down inside. Calming herself, Amata let out a breath, and took her place back on the stool. "Sorry," she whispered to him, trying not to let the other people at the bar over hear, "you just caught me off guard."

"So, you just crawled out today?" he concluded, flicking his eyes at her while he picked up a glass and started to wipe it down with the same rag. Amata felt a little disgusted at this, but she hid her feelings this time.

"Yes, we just left." Apparently he was familiar with people leaving the nearby Vault. She watched him work away at cleaning, and listened to the sounds of the song. After a moment, Amata piped up again. "You said 'another Vaultie'," she leaned forward on her elbows and forced herself to peer into the horrific face of the bartender, "does that mean Ana was here, too?"

"Short black hair, nice blue eyes?" Amata nodded. "Yeah, she was here. Great kid, that one. I didn't know her name was Ana, though. Everyone's been calling her Miss Vault 101 around here."

"I've heard," Amata said, looking to her hands. She really didn't want to talk about Ana, but she needed to know where she was so that she could avoid her. The more she heard, though, the more she was certain Ana was a Wasteland Legend, and was impossible to avoid.

"Three Dog talks about her on the radio from time to time, and... man, I wish I could just get out there and live a life like hers, you know? Fighting the Good Fight, making a change... but I'm sorta stuck here. Moriarty's never letting me out."

Amata had no clue what he was talking about, but she understood his turmoil by the sound of his voice. "I'm sorry to hear that." She let silence surround them and clear away the saddened air before asking: "I was wondering, do you know where I could find a job, earn some caps?"

"Oh, well, it depends on where your talents lie," he said, opening a bottle of beer and plopping it down in front of a man two stools down from Amata, sliding the caps into his flesh ridden hand. "You could always ask Walter for work at the water processing plant, or you could ask Moira to do her research if you're into exploring... you could also find work with Moriarty, but I wouldn't recommend it; you look like a sweet kid, and he'd just break ya.

"Let's see," he continued, turning down the volume slightly on the radio and humming to himself. "Other than that, you're out of luck inside Megaton, you'd have to go look to trade outside in the Wastes if you can't find anything here."

"Don't be so hasty, Gob," a woman said from behind Amata, and she looked over her shoulder to the woman slinking up behind her. She was pretty, though a little dirty, and she had such bright red hair. Amata noticed herself staring, and she blushed slightly as the woman put a hand on her shoulder. "I could always use an apprentice."

"Nova," the bartender, presumably Gob, said in a cautious voice, "don't do that...."

"Apprentice for what?" Amata asked, peering up into Nova's face. She seemed like a friendly enough person, but she took the bartender's tone as a precaution.

"Oh, all sorts of fun things," she whispered, bending over. Amata caught a whiff of something foul on her breath, and recoiled. It smelled like sour paste, and Amata turned her head to avoid the smell. Suddenly, she wasn't so keen in finding work with Nova.

Nova took this gesture from Amata as a resounding "no". "Well, if you ever change your mind, honey," Nova said, straightening, "drop on by, I'm always waiting."

"Sure thing," Amata replied with distaste, leaning back on the counter towards Gob. "What was that smell?" she asked him quietly.

"I don't think you want to know," he said, his raspy voice lowering to a deep and honest tone. Amata took his word for it.

The song on the radio ended, then there was silence. Gob stopped wiping down his glass, and he looked to the radio with annoyance, banging on the relic. "No, not again! Stupid piece of—"

Suddenly, a man's voice filtered through, and from the first syllable, Amata could feel the sadness seeping through the speakers. Everyone's head turned, and Gob turned a dial, increasing the volume. From the reactions on everyone's faces, Amata could tell that something unusual was happening. She listened with them quietly.

"_Children... agh, fuck it. Everyone who's listening right now, and has been listening for so long... I... I've never been at such a loss. For five years, I've been holed up in Galaxy News Radio, bringing you the news of the Wasteland that I could offer. You've stuck with me through thick and thin, and from the ratings, I know more and more of you have been tuning in. So... most of you will know who I'm talking about when I mention 'Miss Vault 101'."_

Gob smiled slightly, leaning on the counter and eying the radio in admiration. Everyone at the bar muttered in praise, and turned themselves toward the radio, but Amata flexed her jaw and looked down. How could Ana be their hero and be her personal harbinger of pain at the same time?

"_All of you know the story thus far; the kid saved Megaton, then saved Galaxy News Radio, and then she finally found her dad. Well... this is where the story really gets tragic."_

Amata could feel the instant change in the room's air, and she felt her own heart sink in her chest. She looked toward the radio with the entire bar, her eyes growing wider and her brow furrowing tighter.

"_Turns out, that cool cat James, her dad, had restarted this thing called 'Project Purity', which was supposed to clean all the irradiated water in the Wastes. Sounds like bogus, right? Well, they got that machine close to up and running again. They were almost done, when the Enclave swooped in. In the midst of all the fighting, the kid's dad was killed."_

A few people hissed in the bar, and Amata felt a pain in her chest. Was it her heart breaking? Ana's dad had died... the sudden change in the girl's demeanor became apparent, and Amata bowed her head. If she had known... but, still, did it give Ana the right to take _her_ father away from her, too?

"_She never gave in, though—she led Rivet City's own Doctor Li to safety with her team to the Citadel, where Three Dog's old pals from the Brotherhood house themselves. After the Enclave took over her dad's old machine, the fighting never stopped. Turns out, in the mean time, Miss Vault 101 took down the Enclave single handedly." _Everyone in the bar murmured in shock._ "I know, right? I can't make this shit up!_

"_And so, my friends, my fellow Wastelanders... I rejoice in telling you that Miss Vault 101 helped save her dad's work with the Brotherhood, and she activated it. That's right; there's no more irradiated water in the Wasteland, it's clean, it's safe for humans."_

"What?" Gob said in disbelief, and the murmurs around the counter got louder, too. Amata's jaw dropped open slightly in shock—she couldn't believe it herself. _My God, Ana..._

"_But... I regret to inform you,"_ Three Dog continued, _"that she died doing it."_

The murmurs in the bar stopped. The words struck Amata immediately, but they didn't sink in right away. After a moment of silence on the radio, Amata shot up from her stool, and gripped the radio, as if it were Three Dog himself. Her eyes bugged and her hands shook. _What?_

"_When I said that kid was the last hope we had, that she was the one that would pull us through... I meant it. I never thought it would come to this..." _There was a pause, and his voice seemed like it wavered slightly. _"Never heard her name, either. I'm sure someone out there knows...."_

"No," Amata said, shaking the radio slightly, "no...."

No one said anything, but Amata was sure they were all staring at her. "NO!"

"What is all this bloody noise?" a man called form behind the bar, coming out of a room from behind Gob. Everyone averted their gaze toward the counter as he came in, and even Gob's hands moved to pick up a glass to look busy. The man's eyes fell upon Amata gripping the radio, but she didn't see him. She kept murmuring to herself, shaking the radio as she did it. "No, no, no, nonono—"

"Hey, enough of that!" the man said, grabbing Amata's wrist and pulling her away from the radio. Her eyes tore from the mechanism and stared into the harsh, dark eyes of the white haired man behind the bar. Gob didn't dare look at her when that man leaned over the bar next to him, and he continued to scrub away at the glass unnecessarily. Amata's eyes bore into the white haired man, her breathing heavy. "Get out of my saloon," he barked, pointing to the door. His voice drowned out the last words from Three Dog on the radio. "Now!"

Amata's vision blurred as the tears filled her eyes, and she could barely make out the queer look that the white haired man gave her. A few people in the bar dared to look at her, but she couldn't discern the looks on their faces. Turning from the scene, she stormed from the bar, bursting into the unwelcome sunlight.

Ana's dead. Ana's dead, Ana's dead. She thought that was what she wanted, but to hear of it happening, to actually know the truth that her friend was no longer alive was painful. Her hate was shallow, and it easily dissipated. _I didn't mean it, I did want to see you again, oh God, Ana, I want to see you!_

Amata rested herself against the railing across from the saloon, trying to fight the tears back as they sloppily dripped from her eyes. Ana had truly taken everything from her; a comfortable life, a father, a true friend. She died for them. Oh, Ana, why did you have to die?

She cried for a while, a few minutes, at the most. When she felt the initial pain start to subside (although the deep ache still remained) she started back to the house. Amata truly believed she would hold a grudge against Ana for the rest of her life, but hearing of the things she had done for the entire Wasteland, hearing of her death... there was no way she could hate Ana forever, not her one and only true friend.

"You find anything?" Mr. Brotch asked Amata as she passed him by the atomic bomb in the heart of the crater. Amata shot her eyes up at him, surprised to hear his voice. "What happened?" he asked when he saw the horrid pink tint of her puffy eyes.

Amata was quiet as she tried to decide her answer. "Nothing," she said, "just a bar brawl."

"You have to be careful around here," Mr. Brotch warned her, "there's no telling what these Wasteland assholes will do."

"I know."

When Amata walked back up to the house, she was surprised to find it empty. She closed the door behind her and ascended the steps, walking into the only bedroom. There was a desk, a filing cabinet, and a thin, aged, soiled mattress cramped together in the small bedroom. Amata took a few steps to the bed, sat down, and put her face in her hands. She sniveled a bit as she wiped away the excess tears, and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Dammit, Ana," Amata muttered with a bitter laugh. With a heavy sigh, Amata lifted her Pip-Boy and brought up her inventory, selecting _Picture_ and pressing recall.

She held her hand out, and formed it around the frame that materialized in her palm. Amata had swiped the picture from Ana's old apartment the night they ran from the Vault and camped out in the tunnel just outside the huge door. Amata brushed away at the dirt on one corner of the picture before setting it down on the desk. Ana had been so young then, just a child. She only wished she could go back to those days, before any turmoil could have touched them. Glancing upon father and daughter, she had only hoped that Ana had found him and was at peace at last. Then, scrolling through the options on her Pip-Boy, Amata used the automatic tuner to find Galaxy News Radio, and to her surprise, she heard the man, Three Dog, continue to talk about Ana. Leaning back on the bed, she rested her Pip-Boy in her lap, closing her eyes, and listened to the story of the young woman who had saved the world.

* * *

"Ana, come look at this," James said, waving his young daughter over. She put down her textbook, and got off her bed to stand next to her father. He had a book open on his lap, and the pages he was looking at were completely black with white dots scattered across them. Faint blue lines connected with the white spots, and small print was written in various spots on the pages.

"What is it?"

"This, here," James said, pointing to a white dot, "is the star we named you after: it's Andromeda."

Ana gave a goofy smile, giggling shortly. "That's silly, Dad, stars are just huge nuclear reactions. Why would you name me after a star?"

"The story of Andromeda was your mother's favourite. When we were deciding on names, she had said from the start that a daughter would be named Andromeda."

"There's a story behind a star?" Ana said, sitting down across from him on the opposite couch, "who would do that?"

"It wasn't the star that the story was based off of," James said, waving a finger in the air, "it was the story that the star was named after.

"Thousands and thousands of years ago, the Greeks crafted stories to define their culture, stories of their gods and goddesses, and the story of Andromeda is just another one of those tales." He smiled crookedly at his daughter. "Do you want to hear it?"

"Yes," she said, swinging her legs up and underneath her, shifting her bum on the cushions to get comfy.

"Andromeda was a princess born to a woman who was extremely bragging," her father began, "and the gods demanded that the daughter be sacrificed as punishment to the sea monster. When Andromeda was about to meet her fate, Perseus came and saved her, and eventually they got married."

"What?" Ana said, swinging her legs off the couch and leaning forward, "you named me after _that_ story? Mom wasn't a brag, and I'm sure as hell not going to marry some guy—"

"Watch your mouth, young lady," her father warned, tilting his head and peering at her from the tops of his eyes. She closed her mouth and leaned back. "You are right," he continued once his daughter had calmed herself and her manners, "your mother isn't bragging, and we aren't going to give you away to a sea monster. It was your mother's favourite story, because she related to it."

"You mean," Ana said, leaning forward, "mom's mom was going to sacrifice her?"

"No, silly," he said, tussling her messy black hair. "When I met your mother, she had far more potential than she was being given a chance to express, but I helped her through it, and she was able to live for the first time, she was able to live her passion."

"You were her Perseus?"

Her father smiled, looking down at the book. "I like to think so."

"Dad," Ana said, leaning forward and placing her elbows on her knees, "what was Mom's passion?"

"Trying to make the world a better place," he said, looking back to his daughter, "for everyone here in the Vault. For you."

"How was she going to do that?"

"Well, that's a different story."

"Okay, Dad," Ana said, realizing she wouldn't get any answers from her father, "I'm going to get back to my algebra."

She got up off the couch and walked back to her room, where the door stood ajar. "Hey, Dad," she said, turning back in her doorway, "why didn't you call me 'Alpha' or 'Omega'? I thought that was Mom's favourite."

Her father smiled, chuckling softly. "I'm sure you would have protested at a later age."

Ana pondered this. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Try to get your homework done soon," her father called to her as she disappeared back into her room, "they're serving cheeseburgers tonight."

"Oh, sweet!" she chimed, jumping onto the bed and picking up her text book. She read a couple lines before she turned to her bed side table. Dad said she could have the revelation in her room, since she liked to read it over so much. A warm smile spread across her lips as she read the passage, then she returned to her homework. At the top, there was a blank space for her name. Ana picked up her pen, and wrote: _I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end._

The End


End file.
